A white supremacist paramilitary group in the late 19th century that operated in the South, including Wilmington, North Carolina. Clad in red shirts and often armed, they used intimidation and violence to suppress Black voting rights and influence political outcomes. In Wilmington, the Red Shirts played a significant role in stoking racial tensions and contributing to the atmosphere of fear and oppression that ultimately led to the violent overthrow of the biracial government in the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898. Their tactics and presence exemplified the widespread efforts to maintain white supremacy in the post-Reconstruction South.
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This lesson explores the Wilmington Massacre and Coup d’état of 1898 by examining the events and political environment leading up to and the people and groups involved in the massacre and coup.
