“This Isn’t Who We Are”: Actually, It Is…
I’m sitting in my kitchen in a DC suburb a few days after the attempted coup at the US Capitol Building. Like many folks I’m still processing what happened - and what is continuing to happen - and have a hard time putting my phone down. Among the breaking news reports of arrests, the grandstanding of GOP elected officials doubling-down on conspiracy theories and rhetoric that stoked these violent flames, and chatter over what is and is not protected by the First Amendment I keep seeing a common refrain: This isn’t who we are.
Elected officials and pundits keep saying it. Folks who try “not to be political” keep saying it. Even some Republicans who are stepping up to denounce Trump and the insurrectionists keep saying it.
And I’m sat here, staring at my phone, thinking “This is very much who we are.” America has a long history of racial violence and white domestic terrorism mobilizing against democracy. Two good examples are the attack by the White League on New Orleans in 1874 and the only successful domestic coup in American history which occurred in Wilmington, North Carolina.
The White League was a white paramilitary organization established in Louisiana in 1874 and was predominantly composed of Confederate veterans. Their stated objective was the continued disenfranchisement of freedmen and to intimidate them from politically organizing, and they sought to prevent Republican (at that time the party of abolition) candidates from holding office in the South. They operated in the open and frequently sought coverage by local newspapers.
On September 14, 1874 the White League marched into New Orleans with 5,000 members with the purpose of overthrowing the Republican (remember, the anti-slavery folks at that time) governor they believed was illegitimately elected in 1872. They routed the militia appointed by the Governor and took the statehouse, armory, and occupied downtown New Orleans for three days. It took the arrival of federal troops to restore order and reinstate the Governor. No one was charged.
Wilmington, North Carolina was considered by many to be the most progressive, Black-majority Southern city in the post-Civil War/Reconstruction Era. This town had grown into what many hoped would be a model for the new South, and Black Republicans (seriously, look up the Southern Strategy) had been elected to a number of government positions -city councilmen, magistrates, etc. It is also the location of the only successful coup in American history.
Leading up to 1898 white leaders and vigilantes worked to stoke racial fear and resentment. One of the ways they did this was through the newspapers owned by a man named Josephus Daniels. Daniels published false accounts of the “Negro menace” and highlighted voices such as Rebecca Felton, a writer who called for the lynching of Black men to protect white women. Riding a wave of white fear and anger the Wilmington Democrats (at this point the rabid conservative white power party, did I mention Nixon’s Southern Strategy?) rallied vigilantes to intimidate and physically prevent Blacks from casting a ballot which resulted in white Democrats sweeping the election.
Having cemented political power the white mob then moved to destroy the wealth of Black citizens, stripped them of their right to vote, and burned the press offices of a local Black-owned publication to the ground. With the help of racist police and a vigilante militia they continued their reign of terror and killed at least 60 Black residents. No one was ever arrested or prosecuted, and newspapers painted it as a “race war” instigated by “Black aggression.”
The parallels are striking. Media was leveraged to share false information and extremist views aimed at empowering hate and generating fear. White domestic terrorists knew they had enough power and privilege to openly plot against their Black neighbors and even duly elected government, and often times had the resources of the wealthy elite at their disposal. And, perhaps most telling, none of them faced consequences for their assaults on democracy or mass violence against Black Americans.
Our failure to know our own history gives us a false sense of who we are. Our commitment to silencing and erasing marginalized voices not only in life but in death prevents us from truly reckoning with our sins. Without accepting the truth of who we are we cannot begin the long process of healing - actual healing centered on accountability and justice.
More Readings:
The Battle of Liberty Place - 64 Parishes
The Battle of Liberty Place: White League Uprising Sept. 14, 1874 - The Reconstruction Era
American’s Only Successful Coup d’Etat Overthrew a Biracial Government in 1898 - The History Channel
When White Supremacists Overthrew A Government - Vox (YouTube Video)
