New London riots of 1919

New London riot of 1919

US News coverage of the New London riot of 1919
Date	Late May and June 1919
Location	New London, Connecticut, United States

The New London riots of 1919 were a series of violent racial riots between white and black members of the military of the Naval bases around New London, Connecticut.

Military presence

Several military installations have been part of New London, Connecticut's history, including the United States Coast Guard Academy and Coast Guard Station New London. Most of these military installations have been located at Fort Trumbull. The first Fort Trumbull was an earthwork built from 1775 to 1777, which took part in the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). The second Fort Trumbull was built from 1839 to 1852 and still stands. By 1910, the fort's defensive function had been superseded by the new forts. The United States Revenue Cutter Service was merged into the United States Coast Guard (USCG) in 1915.

Race violence

At the New London, Connecticut (USCG) bases during the summer of 1919, the white and black members of the United States Armed Forces were racially segregated. From May to June the city was under intense tension, and several battles took place between the two groups. African-American sailors reported that White American sailors attacked them. White members of the United States Marine Corps accused the African-American sailors of waiting for them after dark, when they crossed Long Cove Bridge.

In one incident when the police arrested two white "Blue Jackets", other white sailor attacked the Hotel Bristol, where the black sailors spent most of their free time. White sailors threw a group of African-Americans out of the hotel on the street and beat them on Bank Street. The authorities, like the police and fire brigades, were called but could not stop the rioting. Eventually, the Marine Corps were called, and was eventually able to bring the riot under control.

On May 30, 1919, about 20 sailors and soldiers were arrested by police officers, marines, and firemen. The Greeneville Daily Sun reported that the trouble began when negro sailors entered the coast guard academy and attacked white sailors.

On June 29, 1919, another riot happened that got out of police control. It required the marines to be sent in to restore order. The only reason this riot was reported was that a fire hydrant was damaged by the marine vehicles. This caused a dispute between the base and city authorities over who would pay for the damage, and so created a paper trail.

Aftermath

Main article: Red Summer

This uprising was one of several incidents of civil unrest that began in the so-called American Red Summer, of 1919. Terrorist attacks on black communities and white oppression in over three dozen cities and counties. In most cases, white mobs attacked African American neighborhoods. In some cases, black community groups resisted the attacks, especially in Chicago and Washington DC. Most deaths occurred in rural areas during events like the Elaine Race Riot in Arkansas, where an estimated 100 to 240 black people and 5 white people were killed. Also in 1919 were the Chicago Race Riot and Washington D.C. race riot which killed 38 and 39 people respectively, and with both having many more non-fatal injuries and extensive property damage reaching up into the millions of dollars.

See also

• Washington race riot of 1919
• Mass racial violence in the United States
• List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States

Bibliography

Notes

References

• The Greeneville Daily Sun (May 31, 1919). "Race Riot at New London Naval Base". The Greeneville Daily Sun. Greeneville, Tennessee: W.R. Lyon. pp. 1–4. ISSN 2475-0174. OCLC 37307396. Retrieved July 19, 2019. {{cite news}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• The New York Times (October 5, 1919). "For Action on Race Riot Peril". The New York Times. New York, NY: Adolph Ochs. ISSN 1553-8095. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved July 5, 2019. {{cite news}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Rucker, Walter C.; Upton, James N. (2007). Encyclopedia of American Race Riots, Volume 2. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313333026. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help) - Total pages: 930
• United States Coast Guard (2019). "Coast Guard Cities". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved July 19, 2019. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Voogd, Jan (2008). Race Riots and Resistance: The Red Summer of 1919. Peter Lang. ISBN 9781433100673. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help) - Total pages: 234