Stolen Power: The Wilmington Massacre and Coup d’état of 1898

The period following the Civil War, from 1865 to 1877, when efforts were made to rebuild the South and address the issues of slavery and civil rights.

A group of prominent Black citizens in Wilmington formed at the behest of local white supremacists. The group was intended to represent the Black community as the recently formed white supremacist Committee of Twenty-Five presented them with a set of demands included in the “White Declaration of Independence.” These demands were to be complied with by the following day. A supposedly delayed response from the Committee of Colored Citizens was utilized as additional fuel to add to the fires of violence as white citizens gathered at the armory before setting the coup in motion.

The Committee of Twenty-Five was a group of white elite businessmen and political leaders in Wilmington, North Carolina, who played a significant role in orchestrating and executing the violent overthrow of the local biracial government in 1898. Comprised of influential figures from various sectors of society, this clandestine group was selected during the Election Day meeting at the county courthouse where the “White Man’s Declaration of Independence” was read and revised. They were tasked with carrying out the demands of “Declaration” by presenting these demands to a group of prominent Black citizens dubbed the “Committee of Colored Citizens. Their actions led to the disenfranchisement and expulsion of Black political leaders and the imposition of white supremacist rule in Wilmington, marking a dark chapter in the history of racial relations and governance in the region.

The Black-owned Wilmington newspaper run by Alexander Manly whose anti-lynching editorial provided fuel to the fire for white supremacists attempting to stoke violence in advance of the 1898 election.

A regional newspaper headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina that was instrumental in promoting propaganda heralding Black men as predators leading up to the 1898 elections.

A group of influential white supremacists in Wilmington, North Carolina, who clandestinely organized vigilante patrols and orchestrated the overthrow of the local biracial government in 1898. Comprised of prominent individuals from various sectors of society, including business, politics, and media, the Secret Nine played a pivotal role in planning and executing the violent insurrection that led to the disenfranchisement and expulsion of Black political leaders and the imposition of white supremacist rule in the city. Included in the group were J. Alan Taylor, Hardy L. Fennel, W. A. Johnson, L. B. Sasser, William Gilchrist, P.B. Manning, E.S. Lathrop, Walter L. Parsley, and Hugh MacRae. Following the coup, the group maintained a list of white and Black citizens who had been “banished” from Wilmington.

The document written by 800 white citizens, led by Alfred Moore Wadell, on election day of 1898 at the county courthouse which declared: “White Declaration of Independence.” This document stated: “We, the undersigned citizens…do herby declare that we will no longer be ruled, and will never again be ruled by men of African origin.”