Historical Newspapers: Articles on the Tulsa Massacre

 

Historical Newspapers: Articles on the Tulsa Massacre

The Oklahoma Historical Society https://www.oklahoman.com/picture-gallery/news/2021/05/26/black-wall-street-destruction-seen-through-tulsa-world-star-dispatch/5008508001/

 

The Oklahoma Historical Society. https://www.oklahoman.com/picture-gallery/news/2021/05/26/black-wall-street-destruction-seen-through-tulsa-world-star-dispatch/5008508001/

The Oklahoma Historical Society. https://www.oklahoman.com/picture-gallery/news/2021/05/26/black-wall-street-destruction-seen-through-tulsa-world-star-dispatch/5008508001/

The Tulsa World. https://www.oklahoman.com/picture-gallery/news/2021/05/26/black-wall-street-destruction-seen-through-tulsa-world-star-dispatch/5008508001/

The Oklahoman Archives. https://www.oklahoman.com/picture-gallery/news/2021/05/26/black-wall-street-destruction-seen-through-tulsa-world-star-dispatch/5008508001/

Abstract

Although the Greenwood Massacre is not typically thought of as a Native American experience, many if not most of the African Americans residing in Greenwood also descended from Native ancestry due largely but not singularly, to the Indigenous adoption of chattel slavery practice during the 18^th century. “Colored” people of mixed African and Indigenous ancestry of the Five Civilized Nations were not welcomed by their respective Native tribes following their emancipation from slavery, leaving them “stateless” and culturally alienated from their African American relatives who were not a part of the Indigenous experience or bloodline. I have included examples of newspaper stories printed after the Tulsa Massacre of what is now known as the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma or as Black Wall Street.

The assignment was to locate newspaper articles through the suggested database that would relate to an important topic. Attempting to stay on track researching Native American experiences in early America, this occurrence stood out in my mind as an incident which might have been covered by the news takers of the times. Though there were no historic newspapers available related to the topic on the proposed database, there was enough information to direct me to the sites of publications which were operating in Tulsa during the time of the massacre. The site entitled The Oklahoman contained the photos shared here of some front-page reporting on the atrocity. To complete the research on this topic, analyzing more primary sources related to the Greenwood District in addition to the historical articles would clarify the level of destruction caused during this incident, as well as personal accounts through interviews or autobiographies of the survivors.

Bibliography

“1901 to 1925.” Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/collections/african-american-perspectives-rare-books/articles-and-essays/timeline-of-african-american-history/1901-to-1925/.

Bouche, Teryn and Laura Rivard. “America’s Hidden History: The Eugenics Movement.” Scitable by Nature Education, September 18, 2014. https://www.nature.com/scitable/forums/genetics-generation/america-s-hidden-history-the-eugenics-movement-123919444/.

Gamble-Theard, Jennifer. “Black Wall Street: A Legacy of Success, part 2.” The Weekly Challenger, April 26, 2018. http://theweeklychallenger.com/black-wall-street-a-legacy-of-success-part-2/

Gregory, Carl E., "Tulsa," The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=TU003.

“Lynching in America.” Equal Justice Initiative. https://lynchinginamerica.eji.org/report/.

The Oklahoman Archives. https://www.oklahoman.com/picture-gallery/news/2021/05/26/black-wall-street-destruction-seen-through-tulsa-world-star-dispatch/5008508001/.

The Oklahoma Historical Society. https://www.oklahoman.com/picture-gallery/news/2021/05/26/black-wall-street-destruction-seen-through-tulsa-world-star-dispatch/5008508001/.

The Tulsa World. https://www.oklahoman.com/picture-gallery/news/2021/05/26/black-wall-street-destruction-seen-through-tulsa-world-star-dispatch/5008508001/.

Tulsa Race Massacre seen through segregated media. Oklahoman, May 26, 2021. https://www.oklahoman.com/picture-gallery/news/2021/05/26/black-wall-street-destruction-seen-through-tulsa-world-star-dispatch/5008508001/.

Wilson, Linda D.  “Tulsa Tribune,” The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Published January 15, 2010. © Oklahoma Historical Society. https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=TU016.