The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 is considered to be one of the worst cases of racial violence in the history of the United States. It all started on May 30th, 1921, when a young black man, Dick Rowland entered an elevator being run by a 17-year-old white woman by the name of Sarah Page. The exact details of that short elevator ride are the cause of much speculation by it seems that as the elevator moved from the first to the third floor, the movement jostled Rowland into Page causing her to scream, “Rape!” So the question is, how can one singular scream directly ignite a small spark into a race fueled inferno? The events that transpired in Tulsa, Oklahoma began well before the first shots were fired or any bombs were dropped from above. This was …show more content…
During the early part of the 20th century, lynchings were still commonplace in the state of Oklahoma, mainly in part for Caucasians to assert their power and uphold white supremacy. Still, African-Americans were ultimately chasing after the American dream which was to work hard, save money, get an education, and buy property. This was not an easy feat for black America during this time. But they did it, and the prosperous black business district of Greenwood was born. Greenwood Avenue was roughly one mile long and included many professional businesses ranging from physicians, attorneys, a library, several grocers, two newspapers, and a few movie theaters. The white population was genuinely upset and jealous of the substantial success of Greenwood Avenue business owners. They feared that the black population was rising up in economic status. They specifically targeted the black community of Greenwood because they felt this well-educated and financially thriving business owners needed to be put in their place. Even though, the main reason for the district of Greenwood was because their town was segregated and the black people needed their own separate community where they could live, attend church, shop, go to school, and enjoy recreational activities. Even so, whites didn’t like how they were taking over Tulsa and doing well for