AP African American Studies Flashcards: White Supremacist Violence and the Red Summer
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 16 cards to help you master important concepts.
What was “Black Wall Street”?
“Black Wall Street” was the nickname for the prosperous Greenwood district in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was a center of African American wealth and business.
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What was “Black Wall Street”?
“Black Wall Street” was the nickname for the prosperous Greenwood district in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was a center of African American wealth and business.
During which years did the provided text identify a proliferation of racial violence incited by white supremacists?
A significant proliferation of this racial violence occurred between 1917 and 1921.
What was the "Red Summer"?
The Red Summer refers to the acute period of heightened racial tensions and white supremacist violence in the summer of 1919, which included more than 30 urban race riots.
What was the Tulsa race massacre?
In 1921, a mob of white residents and city officials attacked and destroyed Greenwood, an affluent African American community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, also known as “Black Wall Street.”
Connect the post-WWI social climate to the outbreak of widespread racial violence.
The post-WWI climate, marked by economic competition and a pandemic, created an unstable environment where existing racial prejudices were easily inflamed into widespread violence.
How did the experience of Black World War I veterans contribute to the tensions of the Red Summer?
Despite their military service to the country, Black veterans faced intense racial discrimination upon returning home, which became a major source of the racial conflict.
What was a major long-term economic consequence of white supremacist violence in the early twentieth century?
This racial violence, such as the destruction of Greenwood, prevented many African American families from building and passing down generational wealth and property.
What was the scale of the destruction during the Tulsa race massacre?
The massacre was devastating, destroying more than 1,250 homes and businesses within the Greenwood community.
What was the significance of the Greenwood district in Tulsa, Oklahoma?
Known as “Black Wall Street,” Greenwood was one of the most affluent African American communities in the United States before its destruction in the 1921 Tulsa race massacre.
Why was the destruction of property in events like the Tulsa race massacre so damaging to the African American community's future?
It destroyed the physical assets and capital that formed the basis of generational wealth, making it extremely difficult for families to recover and build economic stability.
Identify three ways African Americans responded to white supremacist attacks.
African Americans resisted through political activism, publishing written accounts of the violence, and engaging in armed self-defense to protect their communities.
What were three key factors that contributed to the rise in hate crimes during the Red Summer of 1919?
A global flu pandemic, competition for jobs, and racial discrimination against Black First World War veterans all contributed to the rise in hate crimes.
Beyond physical self-defense, how did African Americans use media and politics to resist violence?
They resisted by publishing accounts to expose the atrocities to a wider audience and by engaging in political activism to demand change and protection.
What two primary factors spurred the beginnings of the Great Migration?
The Great Migration was spurred by the desire to escape racial discrimination and violence, coupled with the lack of economic opportunities for African Americans in the South.
What is the relationship between the Red Summer and the Great Migration?
The intense racial violence of the Red Summer was a key "push factor" that convinced many African Americans to leave the South during the Great Migration.
Who incited the Tulsa race massacre, according to the text?
The massacre was incited by a mob composed of white residents and, significantly, city officials, indicating a level of official sanction for the violence.