A Town Called Rosewood

Objective:
You will learn about the terrorist tactics employed against African Americans by lynch mobs during the era of segregation.
Vocabulary:
  • fusillade
  • Jim Crow
  • Mason
  • posse
  • taboo
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Discussion Questions

  1. What made Fannie Taylor’s accusation so explosive?
  2. What alternative explanation for her action has been handed down in the local African-American community?
  3. In what sense were William Bryce, John Bryce, W.H. Pillsbury and John Wright heroes in the Rosewood tragedy?
  4. Were you familiar with the Rosewood Massacre before you read this story? If not, why do you think this story has remained obscure?
  5. How has the concept of “race riot” changed in America? Compare the Rosewood Massacre to the Los Angles riots of 1992. What are the similarities and differences?

Writing Assignments:

  1. Imagine you are a member of the Rosewood community in 1923. Your parents awaken you from a sound sleep in the middle of the night to inform you that the family must flee to prevent certain death by a mob that is destroying the town. Write a brief journal entry about how you might feel in this circumstance—with no particular place to go and no idea if you will ever be allowed to return home.
  2. None of the people killed in Rosewood were involved in the attack on Fannie Taylor. Write an essay explaining why you think the mob felt justified in carrying out revenge on the entire black community.
  3. Write a letter to state legislators in Florida expressing your feelings about restitution for the victims of Rosewood. Was restitution appropriate? Do you agree with the specified terms of compensation, or do you have other suggestions? Should there be specific requirements for use of the money?

Project Ideas:

  1. In your school or local library, check the indexes of several American history books to see if the Rosewood incident is mentioned. Also search to see how many names of African Americans you recognize. Compare this to the number of names of Americans of European, Asian, Hispanic and Native-American descent. Calculate the percentages of each of these groups’ representation in your textbook. How do these percentages correspond to the group’s proportion in the U.S. population? Create a graph depicting these statistics. Prepare a brief paper summarizing the coverage of different ethnic groups in the history books.
  2. In four small groups, research and report on life in another African-American community in the 1920s, the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Each group should make an oral presentation on one of the following areas: personalities, literature, music or visual arts of the Harlem Renaissance. As a class, put together a notebook “magazine” with images of authors, musicians and artists from this period and donate it to your school library.
  3. Design a memorial for the victims of the Rosewood Massacre, to be located on the site of the destroyed town. You may either draw the memorial or build a model. Write an inscription recognizing the destruction of a whole community and honoring those who lost their lives or property. Display your memorial to the class and give a talk explaining the decisions that went into your design.

Vocabulary:

  • fusillade: A rapid and continuous discharge of many firearms
  • Jim Crow: System of discrimination against and segregation of blacks, especially in the U.S. South prior to the civil rights movement
  • Mason: Member of an international secret society having as its principles brotherhood, charity and mutual aid
  • posse: People summoned to assist the sheriff in keeping peace or pursuing felons
  • taboo: A sacred prohibition put upon certain people, things or acts which makes them untouchable or unmentionable

Discussion Answers:

  1. What made Fannie Taylor’s accusation so explosive?

By accusing a black man of assault, Taylor touched upon a powerful taboo against interracial sexual contact, and the white community responded with violence.
  1. What alternative explanation for her action has been handed down in the local African-American community?

According to survivors of the massacre and their descendants, Fannie Taylor’s assailant was her white lover, who fled to nearby Rosewood and found safety with a black member of his Masonic brotherhood. In this version, Taylor fabricated the story about the black intruder in order to save her reputation.
  1. In what sense were William Bryce, John Bryce, W.H. Pillsbury and John Wright heroes in this tragedy?

At considerable personal risk to themselves and their families, they harbored and delivered to safety Rosewood victims whose lives were in danger.
  1. Were you familiar with the Rosewood Massacre before you read this story? If not, why do you think this story has remained obscure?

Answers will vary.

  1. How has the concept of “race riot” changed in America? Compare the Rosewood Massacre to the Los Angeles riots of 1992. What are the similarities and differences?

During the segregation era, race riots were usually instigated and carried out by whites as a means of asserting white domination and instilling fear in blacks. Since the civil rights period, most participants in race riots have been blacks expressing their frustration and anger over economic and social conditions. Responses to the other questions will vary.

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