century saw a rise in racial segregation and discrimination, particularly present in the Southern states of the U.S. The prevalence of racism and segregation primarily in the Southern states due to Jim Crow laws, which enforced racial segregation in public facilities. Author and historian Eddie Faye Gates says, “the violence that occurred during the massacre can actually be traced to Oklahoma’s segregation laws which were among the most restrictive in the country.” (NPR, 1999). “Many white Tulsans saw the riot as the night that ‘New Negroes’, tried to take over the city.” …” Many black Tulsans saw it as nothing less than a white war on a black population already subjugated by the heavy hand of Jim Crow.” (Neil, 2002). Revise your research question based on evidence from your primary and secondary sources.
Original Research Question
: How did the Tulsa Race Massacre influence the socioeconomic development of the Greenwood area in the decades that followed, and what are the long-term effects/impacts it had on the African American community in Tulsa, Oklahoma?
Revised Research Question
: What role did social attitudes and perceptions of race play in the events leading up to and following the Tulsa Race Massacre, and how did these attitudes change or persist in the aftermath of the event?
***I really liked my original research question, but I revised it solely because I chose a social
historical perspective to focus on and I feel as if the revised question is a better fit for that
type of research. I would like your opinion though on which one you think is better. Thanks! ***
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