PBS’ American Experience presents American Coup: Wilmington 1898, a groundbreaking documentary that explores a forgotten chapter in U.S. history: the violent 1898 insurrection by white supremacists that overthrew Wilmington, North Carolina’s democratically elected multi-racial government. This powerful new film, directed by Brad Lichtenstein and Yoruba Richen and produced with PBS North Carolina, confronts the deep-seated racism that fueled a deadly massacre and suppression of Black political power—a story buried for more than a century. Through archival material, descendant testimonies, and expert commentary, the documentary reveals the lengths to which perpetrators hid the truth about this dark event.
(Rob Latour/Shutterstock for Television Critics Association)
Cameo George, American Experience’s executive producer, emphasized the series' commitment to bringing lesser-known histories to light during the TCA Summer Press Tour, explaining how American Coup fits into that mission. “It’s unsurprising, right – that any of us would not know these stories because we were intentionally not taught them.” The film explores how the events in Wilmington marked a pivotal moment in U.S. history, where the ideals of democracy were violently subverted, leaving a legacy of disenfranchisement and fear that would linger for generations.
For George, this story offers an invaluable opportunity to address the gaps in historical knowledge. Collaborating closely with PBS North Carolina, American Coup is part of a larger effort to ensure that Wilmington’s history reaches beyond the screen. “One of the really special things about this project is the partnership that we have with PBS North Carolina,” George shared. “It was very important for them to make sure that it wasn’t just a film, a static piece of content. But that there was also education, outreach, that there were community screenings. They’re putting together workshops for teachers to help them figure out curriculum for how to teach this event that’s such an integral part of their history.”
For descendants of Wilmington’s Black community, the repercussions of 1898 are still present. Kieran Haile, the great-great-grandson of Alex Manly, editor of Wilmington’s Black newspaper, The Daily Record, has felt the impact in his own family’s story. “Love and Charity Hall, this space where the record stood, is a burned-down empty lot. Alex Manly's home at the time is a burned-down empty lot,” Haile recounted. “There's a deliberate effort to leave it unbuilt upon.”
Haile’s family history holds painful reminders of the trauma and silence surrounding Wilmington’s past. He recalled how he first learned of his connection to the massacre, “I was maybe 16 years old when I was handed the book… I was…lucky that there was a story that my dad shared with me…that kind of kicked off my ability to even make the connection and do all this.” Despite such revelations, Haile notes that many details remain difficult to discuss within his family – a common theme among descendants still grappling with the emotional weight of this dark chapter.
To reconstruct this story, Lichtenstein and his team embarked on an exhaustive search for sources. He described the challenges in piecing together a narrative from scarce documentation, including a rare, pieced-together copy of The Daily Record, Wilmington’s Black-owned newspaper. “We were able to uncover the eighth copy, the eighth existing copy that we know about of the Daily Record, which is the newspaper that Alexander Manly was editing at the time…it was torn up into little bitty pieces, and it was in an envelope that had been kept…it said on the envelope, 'Do not destroy.'"
To illustrate the events, Lichtenstein drew on visual art inspired by Kara Walker, known for her evocative cutout silhouettes. “When you're making a film about 1898, it starts off with an exciting problem to solve, and one of the things that we wanted to do very early on was to use animation,” Lichtenstein noted. His team used visual elements to depict the massacre with respect, acknowledging the gravity of the story without compromising its impact.
For Dr. Crystal R. Sanders, a historian at Emory University who appears in the documentary, the Wilmington coup provides a critical perspective on race relations and systemic disenfranchisement in the U.S. Drawing parallels between the Wilmington massacre and the later Tulsa Race Massacre, Sanders remarked, “Both events…where there is extreme racial violence against African-Americans…the key difference, however, is that Wilmington was a coup. This was the overthrow of a duly elected, biracial government.”
Sanders also underscored the urgent need for educational reform to ensure future generations understand these suppressed histories. “I've always been a lover of history so I began to do more digging, and the more I learned, the more upset I was that this information is not readily available for students in North Carolina or people across the United States,” she stated.
American Coup: Wilmington 1898 premieres on PBS’s American Experience on November 12th, serving as both a memorial to the victims and a reckoning with the nation’s buried past. Through compelling storytelling and an unflinching commitment to historical truth, PBS and its collaborators invite viewers to confront the legacy of racial violence and question how America’s democratic ideals have been, and can be, defended.