Tulsa Race Riot Research Paper

The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 was of the most devastating riots in the history of the United States. Was the reaction of an envious white mob to the extremely wealthiest “Black Wall Street”. How was it that one scream that was heard by almost no one was able to create an angry mob of thousands of people? The setting of the Tulsa race Riot history, impact on law enforcement and the nation made a huge impact on us today.

On May 31 and June 1 of 1921 in Greenwood Tulsa, OK the Tulsa Race Riot occurred over a Memorial Day weekend while following World War 1. The morning of May 30th a young black man named Dick Rowland was accused of raping a young white female named Sarah Page when in a elevator together. Later on the next day a confrontation between

black and white armed mobs around the courthouse which was where the sheriff barricade the top floor to protect Rowland. Early June black Tulsa was looted and burned by white rioters. Weapons that were involved in the riot were guns,incendiary devices, and explosives. The attack carried out on the ground and by air it destroyed more than 35 blocks of the district. Statistics shown there were 39 deaths (1921) but according to the Red Cross and Oklahoma Commission on the final report (2001) there was 300 deaths and over 800 non-fatal injuries.
What were the law enforcement changes and how did it relate to the Tulsa Race Riot? After the Riot took place residents who stayed in the were silent for decades about the terror, violence, and losses of the event. At the time racial disturbances were commonplace, as the nation struggled to grapple with its rapidly changing culture. Insurance companies denied claims from anyone who was black and force them to start over or leave while only leaving them clothes to wear. Around 90 years later Greenwood was built bigger and better. African Americans had more freedom they could live about anywhere they use to not be able to and spend money outside their neighborhood. From the time of the Riot those who grown up in Tulsa never heard a word about the Riot which was one of the darkest moments in the history of Oklahoma. The chamber of commerce created “the exchange” that relocated black Tulsans farther North and East in Greenwood. Some long term effects over the city made it feel half dead. While other effects on the Tulsa Race Riot were political, economic, and cultural.