State Historical Society of Iowa

"Chicago Race Riots Spread" Newspaper Article, July 30, 1919

    Download PDF Resource

Courtesy of Library of Congress, "Chicago Race Riots Spread, 27 Dead, 244 Injured; President Demands Ratification of French Treaty," New York Tribune, pp. 1, 7, 30 July 1919

Description

This New York Tribune article written in July of 1919 during the "Chicago Race Riots." On July 27, 1919, an African-American teenager drowned in Lake Michigan after violating the unofficial segregation of Chicago’s beaches and being stoned by a group of white youths. His death, and the police's refusal to arrest the white man whom eyewitnesses identified as causing it, sparked a week of rioting between gangs of Black and white Chicagoans, concentrated on the South Side neighborhood surrounding the stockyards. When the riots ended on August 3, 15 white and 23 Black people had been killed and more than 500 people injured; an additional 1,000 Black families had lost their homes when they were torched by rioters.

Full Transcript of "Chicago Race Riots Spread" Newspaper Article

Transcribed Excerpts from "Chicago Race Riots Spread" Newspaper Article

Printable Excerpt of "Chicago Race Riots Spread" Newspaper Article

Source-Dependent Questions

  • As you read the excerpts, what did this article tell you about the race relations in Chicago during the riot? What were the two groups fighting about?
  • What specific events did the article mention would cause fear and/or hope in migrating to Chicago if an African American read this article during the time period?
  • How does this source match up to other sources from this text set in displaying the difficulties for African Americans during the Great Migration?

Citation Information 

"Chicago Race Riots Spread, 27 Dead, 244 Injured; President Demands Ratification of French Treaty," New York Tribune, pp. 1, 7, 30 July 1919. Courtesy of Library of Congress