In 1919, weeks of hysteria ginned up by D.C.'s newspapers led to a riot that left as many as 39 dead and put two black men in prison for crimes they likely did not commit. Bertie Lindsey’s murder by an intruder set off the 1919 race riot in Knoxville. Knoxville riot of 1919. Online Edition © 2002 ~ 2018, The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. Thirty-six whites were arrested, but an all-white jury refused to convict any of them. While working on the documentary, filmmaker Bill Isom uncovered film of … Although many historians question whether it was a “race riot” in the classic sense, it bore many characteristics of that phenomenon. On March 15, 1922, in Nashville, Tennessee, Maurice Franklin Mays was pronounced dead after being sentenced to the electric chair. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone! Old City, Knoxville - Wikipedia In the aftermath of the Riot of 1919, one of the city's worst racial episodes, the school's administration (comprising black and white members) staunchly defended the city's African American community, and praised its students' restraint. The Riot of 1919 On the 100th anniversary, this film chronicles the unrest that occurred in Knoxville following the murder of Bertie Lindsey and the attempted lynching of the accused, Maurice Mays. The Knoxville riot took place on August 30-31, 1919. He was thirty-five years old. Countless people were killed and many others were wounded. The footage was recently discovered at a film library in Los Angeles, California, and archivists said it's a stroke of luck that the film survived. Maurice Mays, convicted of murdering Bertie Lindsey which led to the Knoxville Race Riot of 1919. In the early morning hours of August 30 police charged Mayes with the murder of Mrs. Bertie Lindsay, a white woman; Mayes had been identified as the assailant by the victim’s cousin, Ora Smith, who was with Lindsay at the time of the assault. Knoxville Riot of 1919: | | Knoxville Riot of 1919 | | | Date | ... World Heritage Encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the … Matt Lakin, “Maurice Franklin Mays: Died claiming innocence but http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/knoxville-riot-of-1919/. Maurice Franklin Mays, central figure in the Knoxville Riot. All Rights Reserved. Femi Lewis, “The Red Summer of 1919,” About.com, http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/segregation/p/The-Red-Summer-Of-1919.htm; In 1919, Knoxville, Tennessee experienced a riot that shook the city to its foundation. Lakin, Matthew. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The Knoxville City Council has approved a resolution asking Governor Bill Lee to pardon a Knoxville man, wrongly accused of murder, 100 years after the fact. The Knoxville riot of 1919 was a race riot that took place in the American city of Knoxville, Tennessee, on August 30–31, 1919. In Knoxville, Maurice Mays was charged with killing a young white woman named Bertie Lindsey. The Knoxville Race Riot in Knoxville, Tennessee, was one of several race riots that took place in the “Red Summer” of 1919. This did not stop the escalation of violence by the police force and Tennessee National Guard, however, against a small band of black citizens, guilty of being the wrong color at the wrong time and place. How do you say Knoxville Riot of 1919? Beginning on August 30th and officially ending on August 31st, a group of angry white civilians marched through the town in search of Maurice Mays, a man who was charged with the murder of Bertie Lindsey. Knoxville, Tennessee (1919) June 30, 2016 June 30, 2016 Sherlonya riots. The Knoxville Race Riot of 1919 is one of the four prominent riots to occur during the Red Summer. In 1919, Knoxville, Tennessee experienced a riot that shook the city to its foundation. Robert Booker was 11 when he learned that an elderly, one-legged man hobbling along Central Avenue had lost the other leg in the 1919 riot. Category:Knoxville riot of 1919. https://www.pbs.org/video/knoxvilles-red-summer-the-riot-of-1919-onccid In recognition of the 100th anniversary of Knoxville’s race riot in August 1919, Kn oxville’s own Carpetbag Theatre, Inc. will be performing an adaptation of “The Red Summer” at the Bijou Theatre. The riot began when a lynch mob stormed the county jail in search of Maurice Mays, a biracial man who had been accused of murdering a white woman. Knoxville riot of 1919. conviction stands,” Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.knoxnews.com/news/local/maurice-franklin-mays-died-claiming-innocence-but-conviction-stands-ep-361162421-357180621.html; No African American inmates were harmed during their search, but over a dozen white inmates were freed, leading to the pillaging of the liquor storage room and the demolition of the jail. The riot prompted many African Americans to flee the city. The photos you provided may be used to improve Bing image processing services. It is available online for study, scholarship, and research use only. The riot began when a lynch mob stormed the county jail in search of Maurice Mays, a biracial man who had been accused of murdering a white woman. Functionality and information are in compliance with guidelines established by the American Association for State and Local History for online state and regional encyclopedias. Over the course of a day — Saturday, Aug. 30, 1919 — Knoxville, Tennessee witnessed a riot sparked by anti-Black violence during what was known as “Red Summer.” In what became an all too typical pattern, an African American was blamed for the murder of a white woman. African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African Americans and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Alma Stephenson Dever Page on Afro-britons, With Pride: Uplifting LGBTQ History On Blackpast, Preserving Martin Luther King County’s African American History, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, African American Newspapers, Magazines, and Journals, http://diaspora.northwestern.edu/mbin/WebObjects/DiasporaX.woa/wa/displayArticle?atomid=604, https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=753, http://www.appalachianhistory.net/2015/08/knoxvilles-red-summer-of-1919.html, http://www.knoxnews.com/news/local/maurice-franklin-mays-died-claiming-innocence-but-conviction-stands-ep-361162421-357180621.html, http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/segregation/p/The-Red-Summer-Of-1919.htm, https://archive.org/stream/MAYS01/MAYS-01_djvu.txt. Race riot that took place in the American city of Knoxville, Tennessee, on August 30–31, 1919. A few individuals broke into the jail in search for Mays; however, he was moved to a jail located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as a protective measure. The subsequent march to the African American section of town and the ensuing firefight has convinced other historians that while the Knoxville riot of 1919 may not have begun as a race riot, it ultimately became one. Part of the Knoxville Riot of 1919, one of the city's worst racial episodes, took place in the Bowery on August 30, 1919. One of the patrolmen, Andy White, immediately thought of Maurice Mays. The only witness was Lindsey’s twenty-one-year-old cousin, Ora Smyth, who soon after the intruder left their Knoxville home, stealing a purse on his way out, ran next door to the house of a city policeman. It was a very hot summer and it felt like temperatures [tempers] were just very hot as well,” said Rev. Ella Walker, Mays’s biological mother, worked as McMillan’s maid. column on 12 April 2011 (check views). In spite of these precautions, a crowd gathered around the Knox County jail, broke down the door, and searched the building for Mayes. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Years following the Civil War that Knoxville, Tennessee had been able to boast about harmonious racial relations before the riot of 1919. Knoxville's Red Summer: The Riot of 1919 On August 30, 1919, 27 year old Bertie Lindsey was assaulted and murdered in her home by what was reported to be a Black intruder. Maurice Franklin Mays was a well-known African American political figure who briefly served as a deputy sheriff in North Knoxville. ‘Red Summer’ spotlights Knoxville’s race riots of 1919 Sandra Clark September 13, 2019 Arts 865 The cast of “Red Summer:” (top) Kisha Rockett, Andresia Moseley, Kim Tooks; (center) Drew Drake; (bottom row) Will Dorsey, Jazmin Witherspoon, and Carlton "Starr" Releford. The riot began when a lynch mob stormed the county jail in search of Maurice Mays, a mulatto man who had been accused of murdering a white woman. As rumors of violence circulated, the crowd broke into downtown hardware stores, armed themselves, and headed for the black section of town. Maurice Franklin Mays was convicted of the murder of Bertie Lindsey by an all-white jury and sentenced to death. The arrest of Maurice Mayes, a sometimes deputy sheriff, touched off the riot. The following information is provided for citations. Knoxville riot of 1919 is similar to these historical events: Macon, Mississippi, race riot, Omaha race riot of 1919, Whatley, Alabama race riot of 1919 and more. Because no black prisoners were harmed in the mob’s assault on the jail, many historians believe that Mayes was the only target of the crowd. In a Brown Bag lecture at noon on Thursday, March 12, author Marilyn Mascaro will share and discuss the recorded testimony of her grandfather who was an eyewitness to the Race Riot of 1919 in Knoxville. Thanks to a partnership with the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound, Knoxville's Red Summer includes news reel footage of the city, post-riot, not seen by the public since 1919. One National Guard officer was killed accidentally by his own men, and one African American was also shot and killed. That afternoon, fearing trouble, Sheriff W. T. Cate arranged for Mayes to be removed to Chattanooga. Mays’s biological father was the white Democratic mayor, John E. McMillan. The so-called “Red Summer” of 1919 was a series of violent riots, predominantly whites against blacks, which lasted from May until October of that year and resulted in an estimated six hundred deaths across the nation. Diasporic Studies, Northwestern University, http://diaspora.northwestern.edu/mbin/WebObjects/DiasporaX.woa/wa/displayArticle?atomid=604; ‘Red Summer’ spotlights Knoxville’s race riots of 1919 Sandra Clark September 13, 2019 Arts 865 The cast of “Red Summer:” (top) Kisha Rockett, Andresia Moseley, Kim Tooks; (center) Drew Drake; (bottom row) Will Dorsey, Jazmin Witherspoon, and Carlton "Starr" Releford. Minutes later, several policeman rushed to the scene of the crime, where thirty or forty people had already congregated. People to know. “Knoxville’s Red Summer of 1919” Appalachian History, August 2015, http://www.appalachianhistory.net/2015/08/knoxvilles-red-summer-of-1919.html; KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As the weather heated up in the year 1919, so did race relations across the country. It was a very hot summer and it felt like temperatures [tempers] were just very hot as well,” said Rev. The Red Summer refers to the race riots that occurred in more than three dozen cities in the United States during the summer and early autumn of 1919. Mary Etter remembers the hours before her husband Joe, a veteran of the Spanish-American War, was killed in the streets of Knoxville during the Red Summer race riots. The lead investigator on the case, Police Officer Andy White, had a particular grudge to settle and arrested a handsome, young man about town, Maurice Mays. Knoxville's Red Summer: The Riot of 1919 On August 30, 1919, 27 year old Bertie Lindsey was assaulted and murdered in her home by what was reported to be a Black intruder. This article is protected by copyright, East Tennessee Historical Society. In the Knoxville, Tennessee riot of 1919 for instance the catalyst, Maurice Mays may have been falsely accused and later executed for the crime that ignited this tragedy. Years following the Civil War that Knoxville, Tennessee had been able to boast about harmonious racial relations before the riot of 1919. Knoxville’s Red Summer: the Riot of 1919 explores the civic unrest that took place in Knoxville following the near lynching of Maurice Mays. The riot began when a lynch mob stormed the county jail in search of Maurice Mays, a biracial man who had been accused of murdering a white woman. Knoxville, Tennessee (1919) June 30, 2016 June 30, 2016 Sherlonya riots. The text of the entry was as follows: "Did you know ... that the Knoxville Riot of 1919 , one of the events of that year's Red Summer , began when a lynch mob stormed the jail in pursuit of a man believed to have been the mayor's illegitimate son?" It is available online for study, scholarship, and research use only. Maurice Franklin Mays, a 35-year-old black man, was wrongly convicted in the murder of a 27-year-old white woman in the summer of 1919. Definitions of Knoxville Riot of 1919, synonyms, antonyms, derivatives of Knoxville Riot of 1919, analogical dictionary of Knoxville Riot of 1919 (English) Stories of that night’s violence have filtered down to us mixed with truth and urban legend. Kesler. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. (Beck Cultural Center) "I am innocent and I hope the politicians are satisfied" were the last words of Maurice Mays … "Knoxville's Red Summer: The Riot of 1919" airs Saturday at 6 p.m. on WETP, Channel 2. Special | 26m 52s One hundred years ago, Bertie Lindsey was murdered and the accused was almost lynched by an angry mob. Category:Knoxville riot of 1919. Race riot that took place in the American city of Knoxville, Tennessee, on August 30–31, 1919. The Knoxville Race Riot of 1919 is one of the four prominent riots to occur during the Red Summer. Knoxville’s Red Summer: the Riot of 1919 explores the civic unrest that took place in Knoxville following the near lynching of Maurice Mays. BlackPast.org is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. The Knoxville Race Riot in Knoxville, Tennessee, was one of several race riots that took place in the “Red Summer” of 1919. Soon after, White handcuffed Mays and hauled him over to the crime scene where Ora Smyth “identified” him as the intruder after barely glancing at Mays. In Knoxville, Maurice Mays was charged with killing a young white woman named Bertie Lindsey. The so-called “Red Summer” of 1919 was a series of violent riots, predominantly whites against blacks, which lasted from May until October of that year and resulted in an estimated six hundred deaths across the nation. Mayes, a well-known political figure, was rumored to be the illegitimate son of Knoxville Mayor John E. McMillan. In 1919, weeks of hysteria ginned up by D.C.'s newspapers led to a riot that left as many as 39 dead and put two black men in prison for crimes they likely did not commit. William Bruce Wheeler, “Knoxville Riot of 1919,” AASLH, https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=753; Dave Tabler, “ ‘A Dark Night’: The Knoxville Race Riot of 1919.” The Journal of East Tennessee History 72 (2000): 1-29. “ ‘A Dark Night’: The Knoxville Race Riot of 1919.” The Journal of East Tennessee History 72 (2000): 1-29. 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