New documentary examines the Wilmington coup in 1898
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A mob stands outside of the burned offices of The Daily Record, Wilmington's Black-owned newspaper in Nov. 1898. Photo: New Hanover County Public Library
A new documentary examining the history of Wilmington's 1898 coup that violently overthrew a multiracial local government will air on PBS stations across the county and stream online on Nov. 12.
Why it matters: Wilmington's deadly coup — which led to an overthrow of the Black-owned newspaper, forced Black elected officials out of office and ultimately led to the city's demographics shifting from a Black majority to white — was little talked about in the hundred years after it happened.
- But in recent years, the only coup ever to take place on U.S. soil has been examined in deeper ways, from the state's own research, The News & Observer's acknowledgment of its role in fanning the flames in 2006 and a Pulitzer prize-winning book in 2020 by journalist David Zucchino.
Driving the news: "Wilmington 1898: An American Coup," a documentary co-produced by PBS North Carolina and American Experience, is the latest entry into the examination of the critical event in Wilmington's history.
- It combs through the historical record and interviews descendants on both sides of the coup as well as scholars and writers, including descendants of Alex Manly, who led the city's Black newspaper, and Frank Daniels III, the great-grandson of Josephus Daniels and former publisher of The News & Observer.
Zoom in: In the 1890s, Wilmington was the state's largest city, with a fast-growing Black population looking for jobs after the end of slavery during the Reconstruction era.
The big picture: Wilmington was also a city that was almost unique in electing a multiracial local "Fusionist" government that ultimately was at odds with the Democratic controlled state.
- In response, the city's government was attacked by Democratic-led propaganda from across the state, including at the Josephus Daniels-led News & Observer, which notoriously published racist cartoons and editorials.
- The resulting campaign against the multiracial government ultimately led to to the violent overthrow of the city's government, the deaths of dozens of Black people and the torching of businesses.
What they're saying: Filmmakers Brad Lichtenstein and Yoruba Richen said they were drawn to the story because of their previous work exploring racial terror in the South and the hard history that often gets covered up for generations.
- "This didn't just happen in North Carolina, in terms of racial terror and massacres. This happened all over the south," Richen told Axios.
- "We can grapple with our history," she added. "Hard history doesn't have to be about making people feel uncomfortable. It's about how do we grapple with it, and how do we move forward and and the whole nation could benefit from that."