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

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.