American Society and Race Relations in the Early 20th Century
Woodrow Wilson and White Supremacy
First Southern-born President in Decades: Wilson held views on race typical for a Southern man of his era, despite his intellectual outward appearance.
Commitment to White Supremacy: He was deeply committed to white supremacy.
Segregation of Washington D.C.: He was the first president to order the segregation of federal buildings in Washington D.C.
His wife actively enforced this segregation, personally ensuring separate bathrooms and cafeterias in government offices.
Dismissal of African American Employees: Wilson fired every African American he could from the federal government.
He hired incredibly racist individuals; for instance, the head of the IRS fired all Black employees.
The Secretary of Labor (in a quote where a racial slur is substituted) stated, "There are no government positions for black men in the South. A black man's place is not in the government. It's in the cornfield."
Racial Tastes: His favorite movie was Birth of a Nation, the most infamous film of its era.
Birth of a Nation ()
Popularity and Significance: While many considered Sherlock Junior the best silent movie, Birth of a Nation was arguably the worst but exceptionally popular.
It was the most popular, most expensive, and most ambitious movie in American history up to that point.
Historical Narrative: The film purports to tell U.S. history.
The first half depicts the Civil War, with the South losing.
The second half, described as "really, really, really, really racist," portrays the aftermath.
Racist Portrayal of African Americans: The movie's narrative claims that after the Civil War, African American leaders, with white allies, took over the South and destroyed everything.
It embraces every anti-Black stereotype: Black people are depicted as lazy, unintelligent, corrupt, dangerous, coveting white women, and ruling with an "iron fist."
All Black speaking roles were played by white actors in blackface.
The Ku Klux Klan as Heroes: The film portrays the Ku Klux Klan as heroes who ride in to save white people from extermination, ensuring the restoration of white supremacy, goodness, and peace.
Public Reception: White audiences adored the movie, viewing it as a "masterpiece of racist cinema." African Americans protested it, and many considered it racist even for its time.
President Wilson's Endorsement: Wilson, a fan of the movie, was said to have called it "history with lightning" (though this is likely an exaggeration).
He arranged a showing of the film on the White House grounds.
Rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan
Inspiration from Birth of a Nation: The movie played a pivotal role in inspiring the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan.
The original Klan had been destroyed in the . The film's heroic depiction of the Klan inspired Americans to revive it, famously starting on Stone Mountain.
National Expansion: The Klan spread rapidly across the entire country, gaining popularity in the North, South, East, and West.
Peak Influence: By the early , the Klan boasted million members and wielded control over several state governments, including Indiana and Oregon.
Flexible Hatred: The Klan was adaptable in its targets for hatred, encompassing anti-Black racism, anti-Catholicism, antisemitism, anti-immigrant sentiments, and "anti-anything" that people could be found to hate.
March on Washington D.C.: Tens of thousands of Klan members marched through Washington D.C., unashamed, openly displaying their faces, flags, and patriotism, reflecting their perceived American identity.
Rise in Racial Violence
Forsyth County, North Atlanta ():
Demographic Context: In , Forsyth County had African American residents.
First Incident: In , a -year-old white girl screamed, claiming a Black man had climbed into her window.
Sheriff William Reed, a swaggering figure, quickly arrested five young, marginalized Black men (illiterate, unemployed, unmarried) and charged them with assault.
A white mob surrounded the jail, intending to lynch them, but state troops were sent by the governor to ensure they received a trial.
Second Incident: Three days later, a or -year-old white girl was found in a field with her throat cut (she survived).
Sheriff Reed, finding a "distinctive mirror" near her, tracked it to a -year-old Black boy.
The boy was coerced into a confession after Reed dragged him to a well, tied a rope around his neck, and threatened to throw him in.
Legal Coercion: The arrested men were given a choice: confess for years of hard labor (tough but survivable) or plead not guilty, face a guaranteed conviction, and receive a death sentence.
Three men took the deal; two were convicted, sentenced to death, and executed. These events were almost certainly based on false accusations, a common tragedy of the era.
Systematic Expulsion of Black Residents: A group of leading white men in the county (dentists, doctors, lawyers) decided to drive out all African Americans.
They methodically visited Black-owned homes at night, two or three at a time, delivering threats: "move out, leave the county, or else."
Threats escalated from leaving bullets on doorsteps to firing shots through doors or leaving dynamite on front steps.
Black families eventually sold their homes, often at a discount; those who didn't leave risked having their houses burned down or worse.
Demographic Outcome: This systematic ethnic cleansing was effective.
From Black residents in , the number dropped to by . By , there were zero Black residents in Forsyth County.
The county remained entirely white for decades, with later generations enforcing this "birthright." For example, in , five armed white men forced a wealthy white family's Black housekeeper to leave Cumming.
Forsyth County remained the "whitest place in the country" for a very long time, becoming a national story in the .
Tulsa Race Massacre ():
"Black Wall Street": Tulsa, Oklahoma, was home to the most prosperous Black community in America, known as "Black Wall Street," a wealthy neighborhood fueled by the era's oil boom.
White Resentment: Local whites harbored deep resentment, anger, and jealousy of the successful Black community.
Trigger Incident: In , tensions exploded following a minor incident: a young Black man accidentally stepped on a white woman's foot in an elevator, causing her to yelp.
Escalation of Rumors: Through a "telephone game" of rumors, the story escalated rapidly by the next afternoon, turning into vicious tales of assault.
Initial Confrontation: The Black teenager was arrested. A white mob marched on the jail to lynch him, but a group of Black men arrived to protect the boy.
Shots were exchanged, resulting in a few casualties on each side.
Media Incitement: Local newspapers inflamed the situation further, reporting it as the "most violent thing to ever happen" and stoking fears with phrases like "many more whites shot."
Full-Scale Attack: Whites from dozens of miles away descended on Tulsa, fueled by years of jealousy and racial resentment.
They patrolled streets, indiscriminately beating, robbing, and killing.
Attackers broke into a local armory, stealing World War I-era guns, a Gatling gun, and a howitzer to shell Black neighborhoods.
A white farmer used his crop duster plane to drop firebombs on Black homes, burning them from the top down.
This is believed to be the only instance in U.S. history of American homes being bombed from the air.
Casualties and Aftermath: Approximately people were killed (the exact number is uncertain).
Black Wall Street was largely reduced to rubble, making it one of the most destructive domestic events in American history.
Survivors faced lifelong trauma from the fires and loss of their homes.
Jack Johnson's Downfall
Controversial Figure: Johnson, while fighting against racism, was also described as a "pretty bad person personally."
White people intensely disliked his insistence on dating white women.
First Marriage and Tragedy: In the early , Johnson married a white socialite from New York.
He was verbally and emotionally cruel to her, and likely physically, leading to her deep depression and eventual suicide.
Second Marriage and Mann Act: He remarried another white woman, a former sex worker he met in a brothel.
Authorities saw an opportunity to take him down using the Mann Act, a progressive-era anti-sex trafficking law intended to protect women, which criminalized transporting women across state lines for "immoral purposes."
Despite their marriage and her consent, the government pursued Johnson under this law, charging him for transporting his wife.
Arrest and Exile: Johnson was arrested and sentenced to a year in jail, but he fled the country, defending his heavyweight title abroad.
Loss of Title (): Johnson finally lost his title in to Jess Willard in Cuba.
Jess Willard: A cowboy from Kansas, nicknamed the "Potawatomi Giant," he was remarkably large for his time ('