Forsyth, GA – Georgia Black History
It was 1912, and while the rest of the country was in the era of American Imperialism, parts of Georgia was stuck in the Reconstruction Era. This was the year that white residents of Forsyth County cleansed the area of the entire black population. Approximately 1,100 black residents, business owners, land owners, children, and elderly were forcibly removed from Forsyth County.
An all white lynch mob began with claims of a white woman being raped by a black man. It was later determined that the sexual encounter was consensual. A black suspect (never tried before a court) was hung, and two black teenagers tried by an all white jury were hung in public executions in the town center.
During the 1910 census it was determined more than 1,000 blacks and approximately 10,000 whites lived in Forsyth county. However after the “Night Riders,” as the white mob called themselves, threatened, burned, and beat the black residents, more than 98% of them fled the area. The cleansing wasn’t limited to Forsyth.
The surrounding counties also ran out 50% or more of their black residents during this time.
Blacks did not begin to return to Forsyth until the 1980s. During the return to Forsyth, African Americans attempted to regain the land owned by their relatives generations before. They have been unsuccessful to date.
Learn more about the Forsyth racial cleansing here:
- https://www.npr.org/2017/12/08/569156832/the-racial-cleansing-that-drove-1-100-black-residents-out-of-forsyth-county-ga
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1912_Racial_Conflict_of_Forsyth_County,_Georgia
- https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/banished/film.html
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LaDawn LBJ Jones
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If you’re going to write about history, get your headline correct. You imply in the headline of this article that these events happened in the City of Forsyth. The City of Forsyth is in Monroe County. Please do a little more research.
I didn’t get down here (from PA) until 1975, and I remember the stories about Black folks moving back into Forsyth County. I think Hosea Williams was leading some demonstrations there. I was appalled.
Don’t get me wrong- there was plenty of racism in PA too. It just wasn’t so… overt. Or widespread.
I REMEMBER THESE EVENTS AND THE PEOPLE OF MONROE COUNTY, FORSYTH GA, GOT A BAD RAP FROM THE NEWS MEDIA AT THE TIME. RACIAL PROBLEMS WERE EVERYWHERE, I JUST HATE TO SEE THAT 30+ YEARS LATER PEOPLE ARE STILL GETTING THE LOCATIONS MIXED UP.
First I Have lived here over 60 years and all of this happened before my time. What’s left of this story is 3rd hand reports and what few actual articles that can be dug up. Next it’s not Forsyth Georgia, Its Cumming Georgia. It is also Forsyth County and not Monroe County which the county seat is Forsyth Georgia. Confused, well look at a map.
It you are going to cite references I would be very careful in citing Wikipedia It is only as good as the author. Some of it does come from a few known facts. Facts such as the death of Mae Crow and the confession Ernest Knox are known. The confession from Knox may have been obtained by torture however at the time there was no forensic science to establish scientifically who killed Mae Crow. There were also 2 witnesses that implicated Knox this is also known by newspaper reports from the time.
As far as Ethnic Cleansing in surrounding counties there isn’t much to establish to what degree that actually happened. I live in Cherokee and I never heard of that happening around here. I suspect the reports may not be accurate or factual. If you can cite verifiable facts and not hearsay from an NPR interview I would like to hear it.
BTW Reconstruction did not really end in the Deep South until the start of World War II and part of it still exist today.
Raleigh – Reconstruction existed until WWII and today? Please explain.