Tulsa Massacre Research Paper

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Tulsa, Oklahoma originally started as an oil boom town. In 1905 a wildcatter discovered the Glenn Pool oil field which at the time was the world’s richest small oil field. Professionals and merchants, and people of all walks of life and races began moving to Tulsa; including those from smaller all black towns. As the town began to grow into a city, the northeastern area became the primary settlement for blacks in Tulsa; and it became known as Greenwood. With around 40-45 blocks to itself, and consisting of the segregated black community. Greenwood took on a life of its own as its own city within a city. With individual neighborhoods and individual churches in the area.

In 1921 on Memorial Day in Downtown Tulsa, an Oklahoman resident named Sara Page accused Dick Rowland, a black teenager, of attempted sexual assault. The story got retold through news articles spreading misinformation and spreading a wave of hate throughout the town. The white people in the neighboring towns couldn't wait for the court system to do its job,and on May 31st and June 1st, a white mob stormed Black Wall Street. Burning, destroying, and looting thirty-five blocks of 190 businesses and leaving thousands of …show more content…
They stole money and jewelry from the house. Planes flew over the town, dropping bombs on the residents. This attack will always be known as the Tulsa Massacre. Politicians and reporters all falsely blamed the black residents for the riot, stating “lawless blacks”. Tulsa newspapers often refer to Greenwood district as “Little Africa” and or “NiggaTown”. Blacks in the area were labeled as alcohol-driven gunslingers. “I still smell smoke and see fire. I still see Black businesses being burned. I still hear airplanes flying overhead. I hear the screams. I have lived through the massacre every day. Our country may forget this history, but I cannot.” said Viola Fletcher, who was just 7 years old at the time of the
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