Politics in North Carolina have a long history of unrest and unruliness. For those who closely follow current politics, a look back at an astounding period in the history the Old North State exposes an eye-opening, shameful revelation. For the last 121 years, a massacre in 1898 that was ultimately the result of political strategies within the City of Wilmington was conveniently billed as a race riot - when, in fact, it was a coup. Moreover, it is believed to be the only successful coup d’état in the history of the U.S.

But the most remarkable thing about the Wilmington Coup is how long it took for the truth about that ill-fated day for many North Carolinians to be acknowledged. Scores of African Americans were killed in a bloody massacre (as many as 300 people) and others were escorted or, more accurately, physically chased out of town. What follows is a short summary of what happened and why Wilmington will always have a dark stain looming overhead.

In 1898, Wilmington, a city larger at the time than Charlotte, had a population of nearly 21,000. The majority of which were African American.

Among them, many were freed slaves now holding down paying jobs and earning a good income; some rising to high positions. Ahead of the 1898 election, the Democratic State Party Chairman developed a campaign strategy for ousting the Republicans and Populists from office. He created a strategy that pivoted on race. He then structured the campaign platform upon the notion of white supremacy.

On November 10, 1898, an organized group of white supremists stormed through the streets of Wilmington, burning businesses owned by African Americans and killing at least 60 people (although some reports say it was as many as 300 African Americans that were massacred).

The white supremacists plowed through the city with evil destruction in mind. What began as a group of 500, eventually swelled to as many as 2,000.

A structure that still stands, the Wilmington Light Infantry Building, was the meeting spot. From there, the unruly white rioters marched to the offices of the only African American daily newspaper in the state, The Daily Record, to burn it to the ground.

The militia was responsible for chasing the majority of African Americans out of Wilmington, either on that day or in the days that followed.

It was also successful in overthrowing the Wilmington government. Republicans and Populists alike were chased out of office and those positions were filled with white supremacists, mostly Democrats.

Members of the nationwide white supremacy terrorist club, called the Red Shirts, went door-to-door, among other methods, to expel any African Americans remaining in town.

Wilmington wasn't the A white supremacy convention was held in Goldsboro in the fall of 1898 and 8,000 members/followers showed up.

The speakers at the convention were so convincing, that followers left the convention and began randomly attacking African Americans throughout the state. The actions of the Red Shirts were far reaching, but in Wilmington, their presence and actions will never be forgotten.

Thousands of African Americans fled Wilmington during the Wilmington Coup of 1898. Those who weren't so lucky perished in the angry mobs that attacked them, their businesses, and homes.

On the 121st anniversary of the so-called race riot in Wilmington, on November 10, 2019, the city finally acknowledged there was no race riot, and that the massacre that took place during the Wilmington Coup wasn't a riot initiated by African Americans at all — it was a massacre. The city also moved to stop labeling the incident a 'race riot,' in favor of the more accurate: Wilmington Coup.

For more than a century, history books in schools throughout the Old North State have taught our children a more than slightly skewed version of the events that took place during the Wilmington Coup. What do you remember learning in school about this dark stain on North Carolina's history?

Keep reading here to discover more insane moments from North Carolina history.