Challenge Your Understanding
These interactive quizzes will help you test and expand your knowledge about the Tulsa Race Massacre and its historical context. Select a quiz category below to begin.
Basic Facts
Test your knowledge of the basic facts and timeline of the Tulsa Race Massacre.
Historical Context
Explore the social, economic, and political context surrounding the massacre.
Legacy & Impact
Understand the long-term effects and ongoing legacy of the massacre.
Advanced Knowledge
Challenge yourself with deeper questions about lesser-known aspects of the massacre.
Basic Facts Quiz
What was the Greenwood District commonly known as before the massacre?
Correct!
The Greenwood District was indeed known as "Black Wall Street" due to its prosperity and concentration of Black-owned businesses and wealth.
Incorrect
The Greenwood District was known as "Black Wall Street" due to its prosperity and concentration of Black-owned businesses and wealth.
Quiz Complete!
Well done! You have a good understanding of the basic facts of the Tulsa Race Massacre.
You demonstrated strong knowledge about the timeline and key figures, but could review more about the political context and aftermath.
Critical Thinking Questions
Beyond factual knowledge, understanding historical events requires critical thinking and personal reflection. Consider these discussion questions to deepen your engagement with this history.
Historical Memory
Why do you think the Tulsa Race Massacre was largely erased from American history textbooks and public memory for decades? What does this tell us about how history is recorded and taught?
Economic Impact
How did the destruction of Black Wall Street affect the accumulation of generational wealth in Tulsa's Black community? What parallels can you draw to other instances of destruction of Black wealth in American history?
Media Responsibility
Consider the role that the Tulsa Tribune played in inciting the violence. What responsibilities do media organizations have when reporting on racial tensions? How might social media affect similar situations today?
Reparations Debate
What forms might meaningful reparations take for an event like the Tulsa Race Massacre? Consider both financial compensation and other forms of restorative justice.
What Would You Do?
These historical empathy exercises invite you to consider the difficult choices faced by individuals during the massacre.
Scenario: Defending Your Home
You are a Black resident of Greenwood in 1921. You've heard that Dick Rowland has been arrested and there are rumors of a potential lynching. You're a World War I veteran who still has your service weapon. A group of fellow veterans is heading to the courthouse to ensure Rowland's safety.
What would you do?
Historical Context
Black Tulsans faced an impossible dilemma that night. Those who went to the courthouse were acting to prevent a lynching, a common occurrence in that era. Those who stayed home were trying to protect their families from violence. In reality, Black veterans did both - some went to the courthouse while others organized defense of the neighborhood.
No choice would have prevented the massacre, as the white mob was determined to destroy Greenwood regardless of Black Tulsans' actions. This reflects how racial violence often placed Black Americans in no-win situations.
Scenario: Rebuilding Decisions
It's now late June 1921. Your home and business in Greenwood have been destroyed. Insurance companies have denied your claims citing "riot exclusion clauses." The city has passed an ordinance requiring all new buildings in Greenwood to be built with fireproof materials, making rebuilding much more expensive.
What would you do?
Historical Context
After the massacre, Greenwood residents responded in all these ways. Many did leave Tulsa, contributing to the Great Migration to northern cities. Others stayed and rebuilt—sometimes in tents through the winter—showing remarkable resilience.
A group led by attorney B.C. Franklin successfully challenged the unfair building ordinance in the Oklahoma Supreme Court, making rebuilding possible. The city's ordinance was a deliberate attempt to prevent Greenwood from being rebuilt, revealing how institutional racism operated after the physical violence had ended.
Scenario: Preserving History
It's 1997, and you're a descendant of massacre survivors. For decades, the massacre has been largely absent from Tulsa's official history. Now, the state is forming a commission to investigate what happened. You possess family documents and oral histories passed down about the massacre.
What would you do?
Historical Context
When the Tulsa Race Riot Commission (as it was then called) formed in 1997, descendants responded in various ways. Many shared family histories, while others remained skeptical of government intentions based on decades of denial and erasure.
Community-led documentation efforts have been crucial in preserving this history, and the commission's findings did eventually acknowledge the city and state's culpability. The push for reparations continues today, with survivors' descendants still advocating for justice nearly a century after the massacre.