In Wilmington, North Carolina, a violent white mob—led by prominent white citizens, including politicians and businessmen—carried out a violent coup d’état against the city’s legitimately elected, multiracial government. Over the course of two days, white supremacists:

• Burned down the office of The Daily Record, the only African American-owned daily newspaper in the state.
• Killed at least 9 African Americans, though some estimates put the number in the dozens or even hundreds.
• Forced Black leaders and many residents to flee the city, permanently reshaping Wilmington’s demographics and power structure.

This was the only successful coup in U.S. history, and it marked a turning point in the rollback of Reconstruction-era gains for Black Americans in the South. It set the stage for Jim Crow laws and widespread Black voter suppression.

This event is now increasingly recognized as a premeditated act of racial terrorism and political insurrection, rather than a “race riot” as it was once labeled.