Knoxville riot of 1919 facts for kids
| Part of Red Summer | |
Knoxville riot of 1919 news coverage
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| Date | August 30–31, 1919 |
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| Location | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States |
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The Knoxville riot of 1919 was a serious event that happened in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was a race riot, which means it involved violence between different racial groups. This event took place on August 30 and 31, 1919.
This riot was one of many violent events during a time called the Red Summer. During the Red Summer, many race riots happened in cities across the United States. The Knoxville riot was one of the worst racial events in the city's history. It changed how people saw Knoxville, which used to think of itself as a city where different races got along well. After the riot, many black residents left Knoxville. Sadly, racial violence continued to happen sometimes in the years that followed.
Contents
Why the Riot Started
Tensions After World War I
For many years after the American Civil War, Knoxville was seen as a city where black and white people got along. This was unusual for a city in the Southern United States. Black citizens in Knoxville could vote, hold public jobs, and even work as police officers. In 1918, a respected African-American leader named Charles W. Cansler wrote that relations between races in Knoxville were very good. He said that no race riots had ever happened there.
However, after World War I, the country faced an economic slowdown called a recession. Many people moved to Knoxville, making the city's living areas very crowded. This meant there were fewer jobs for more people, which caused tension between black residents and white working-class people. Groups like the Ku Klux Klan and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) also started chapters in Knoxville in 1918.
The Riot Begins
The riot started when a large, angry crowd went to the county jail. They were looking for Maurice Mays, a biracial man accused of a serious crime.
Attack on the Jail
Police in Knoxville knew there might be trouble. So, they moved Maurice Mays from the smaller city jail to the larger Knox County Jail. The county sheriff, W.T. Cate, then secretly moved Mays to Chattanooga. By noon, news of the accusation had spread. A crowd gathered at the county jail, thinking Mays was there. A much larger and angrier crowd formed in Market Square. By late afternoon, about 5,000 people were in Market Square.
Around 5:00 PM, the crowd at the jail became very angry. They demanded that Mays be brought out. Deputy sheriff Carroll Cate and jailer Earl Hall told them Mays was not there. They even let some people from the crowd look inside the jail. But one person, Jim Claiborne, went to Market Square and told the big crowd that Mays was at the county jail. He said Cate and Hall were hiding him. The 5,000 people then rushed towards the jail to find Mays.
Sheriff Cate and Hall could not convince the crowd that Mays was gone. So, they locked the jail's strong riot doors. Around 8:30 PM, the rioters used dynamite to break into the jail. They searched every floor for Mays. They also stole many firearms and let 16 white prisoners go free.
Two groups of soldiers from the Tennessee National Guard arrived. They were led by General Edward Sweeney. But even they could not stop the chaos.
Fighting at Central and Vine
After taking things from the jail and Sheriff Cate's house, the crowd went back to Market Square. They sent five trucks full of rioters to Chattanooga to find Mays. General Sweeney asked the rioters to leave, waiting for more soldiers to arrive. Meanwhile, many black residents in the city had heard about other race riots that summer. They armed themselves and built barriers at the intersection of Vine and Central streets. They wanted to protect their homes and businesses.
On their way, rioters broke into stores on Gay Street. They stole more guns and other weapons. When the soldiers turned onto Vine Street, a gun battle started. Black defenders fired at both the rioters and the soldiers.
The shooting continued for several hours. The black defenders tried to capture the machine guns many times but could not. They were outgunned and slowly left Central and Vine. This allowed the soldiers to take control of the area in the early morning of August 31.
How the Riot Ended
The National Guard quickly blocked off Central Street. They searched all black homes in the blocked area. A rule was put in place that everyone had to be home by a certain time. Also, 200 white citizens were temporarily made special police officers. Small reports of violence continued throughout the day.
Knoxville's newspapers said only two people died. However, people who saw the events said the number was much higher. Deputy Carroll Cate thought 25 to 30 people had been killed. National Guard Major Maurice Martin believed 30 to 40 people died. Some people even said hundreds died.
What Happened After
The Rioters and Race Relations
In the weeks after the riot, many African-American leaders in Knoxville said the rioters did not represent most white citizens. Still, hundreds of black residents left the city for good. Another riot almost happened in 1921, and small outbreaks of violence continued for years.
Leaders in Knoxville did not want to believe the 1919 riot was about racial tensions. The Knoxville Journal newspaper even said it wasn't a race riot. They claimed it was just the city's "rabble" (troublemakers) causing problems. A politician named John Chiles Houk said the angry crowd would have gone after a white person accused of a crime just as easily. Fifty-five white rioters were charged with minor crimes in October 1919, but all of them were found not guilty.
The Maurice Mays Case
Maurice Mays, the man accused of the crime, was treated very differently. After his arrest, Mays said he was innocent. He called the case against him "unfair and prejudiced."
He said, "If the officers had been fair, they would have arrested several possible suspects. Then they would have let the lady calmly choose the guilty person. Instead, it looks like bad management based on unfairness and prejudice. I believe the court will believe me..."
In October 1919, Mays's trial began. Former mayor Samuel Heiskell was a special prosecutor. Mays was defended by lawyers Reuben Cates and William F. Yardley. Even though there was no clear reason for the crime and very little evidence, Mays was found guilty. The case was later overturned by the Tennessee Supreme Court. But Mays was found guilty again in a second trial in April 1921.
On March 15, 1922, Maurice Mays was executed at Tennessee State Prison in Nashville. Mays continued to say he was innocent until the very end. He believed his conviction and death sentence were due to "politics."
See also
In Spanish: Disturbios raciales de Knoxville de 1919 para niños
