Anatomy of Four Race Riots: Racial Conflict in Knoxville, Elaine (Arkansas), Tulsa, and Chicago, 1919-1921

by Lee E. Williams, Lee E. Williams II, Roy Wilkins (Foreword)

Anatomy of Four Race Riots is a study of the terrible racial violence that erupted in four different communities of America during the post World War I years, racial violence that left hundreds dead or injured and a massive amount of destruction in its wake.

Although the igniting incident or event varied somewhat, there was a similarity in the racial climate that existed in each town. The emerging blacks, boosted economically and idealistically by the war effort, were viewed as a threat by some of the whites. The bloody confrontations described here were grave evidence of the intensity of the fear and hatred that existed between a portion of the races.

128 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1972

Reviews

[Fresno Bob]

horrifying

[Dan]

The locales of the four "riots" are Knoxville, TN, Elaine, AR, Tulsa, OK, and Chicago, IL. The authors show that World War I raised the hopes of many blacks who went overseas. When they returned home, their expectations were not met. Meanwhile many whites expected blacks to continue in their subservient roles. Clashes resulted.

[Chrystal]

An important takeaway from the information presented is the examination of the connection between racial violence as a response to the economic uprising of the black population.