The+Tulsa+Race+Riots+of+1921

 The Tulsa Race Riot, as implied by its name, was a riot fueled by racism. It occurred in 1921, as white American soldiers were returning home from World War I, and finding their jobs occupied by blacks in their absence. Riots similar to this had been breaking out in areas all over the country, but the one that occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in May 1921 was perhaps the most violent.

It was sparked by an incident in an elevator between a white woman and a black man, in which the black was accused of sexual assault (though there was no one else in the elevator, and no proof). Whites immediately began to talk of punishment via lynching, and angry blacks rallied around the accused man. Outside his courthouse, nearly 100 armed blacks rallied and offered to protect the man so he didn't have to be locked up in jail. The white sheriff refused the offer. A white man attacked one of the blacks, and the gun went off, starting the riots.

The riot swept the city, with trenches being built to fend off attackers, homes burned to the ground, and a lack of police enforcement. The National Guard was called in by the governor to break up the fighting, and nearly 300 casualties were reported. Blacks were rounded up and the riots subsided. In the aftermath of the event, blacks left the city for other places. It took more than 10 years to rebuild the city. A Tulsa Race Riot Commission was formed in the late 90's to investigate the incident, but it was for the most part forgotten in history.

SOURCES http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/hpolscrv/VdeLaOliva.html