White supremacists overthrow the elected biracial government of Wilmington, North Carolina, killing scores of Black residents and destroying Black businesses.
At a Glance
- Date
- 10 November 1898
- Location
- Wilmington, North Carolina
- Category
- Civil Unrest & Racial Violence
- Source
- 1898 Wilmington Race Riot Commission report (2006) · North Carolina Office of Archives and History
What It Meant Then
It remains the only successful coup d'etat in U.S. history.
What It Means Now
The massacre installed white-supremacist rule and helped usher in Jim Crow.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “The Wilmington Massacre and Coup.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-wilmington-massacre-and-coup/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). The Wilmington Massacre and Coup. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-wilmington-massacre-and-coup/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “The Wilmington Massacre and Coup.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-wilmington-massacre-and-coup/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.