Trailer | AMERICAN COUP: WILMINGTON 1898 | AMERICAN EXPERIENCE | PBS

Summary

The transcript details the 1898 Wilmington Coup, a violent overthrow of a racially integrated local government in North Carolina, which represents a critical moment of white supremacist resistance to Black political and economic advancement. The event involved armed white supremacists forcibly removing Black leaders and politicians from power, destroying a thriving African-American community that had achieved significant social and economic progress. The coup is presented as a defining moment that exposed the fragility of American democracy and systematically dismantled Black citizenship rights through violence and intimidation. Ultimately, the story serves as a stark historical reminder of how racial power structures have repeatedly undermined democratic ideals of equality and representation.