The Ground Breaking: An American City and Its Search for Justice
- Downloads：9786
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-28 02:31:27
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Scott Ellsworth
- ISBN：0593182987
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Nancy
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One hundred years ago a young black man got onto a Tulsa elevator。 Something caused the female operator to scream。 The man ran away。 It was assumed that he had harassed the woman and was arrested。Just the previous year， a lynch mob had hung a white prisoner。 Now， they gathered to deal out that same justice。 Armed WWI veterans from the black community came to protect the jail。 With passions high， fights broke out， and twenty-four hours later， the entire black community of Greenwood had been destr One hundred years ago a young black man got onto a Tulsa elevator。 Something caused the female operator to scream。 The man ran away。 It was assumed that he had harassed the woman and was arrested。Just the previous year， a lynch mob had hung a white prisoner。 Now， they gathered to deal out that same justice。 Armed WWI veterans from the black community came to protect the jail。 With passions high， fights broke out， and twenty-four hours later， the entire black community of Greenwood had been destroyed and unknown numbers murdered。Scott Ellsworth was a Tulsa native who was shocked when he learned this history。 The story had been repressed; there were missing police reports and archival newspapers edited by scissors。 Ellsworth has spent his lifetime studying and researching the Tulsa Race Massacre， his dissertation becoming the definitive history Death in a Promised Land。The Ground Breaking takes readers into the aftermath of the massacre， how the Greenwood community rebuilt， the repression of memory that amounted to denial， the search for the victims buried in unmarked graves， and the quest for reparations。 The deep impact of the incident is evident in the stories told by the survivors Ellsworth interviews。 For a hundred years， the controlling interests of the city have pushed to let the past be the past， while the activists who sought to unearth the incident were vilified。I felt the suspense build as the project strove to investigate the probable and rumored locations of mass graves。This is more than a history of a moment in time。 It is the story of a thriving community that was destroyed and how it remade itself and was destroyed again。 It is the story of the people who persisted in resurrecting a repressed history that continues to haunt the families of victims。 We may try to bury the past because it looks bad， but we can not negate the legacy that haunts the families of the survivors。This is more than the story of a city and a moment in time。 It is the story of those who persisted in resurrecting the truth， and it is the story of America’s deep rooted denial and its cost。 We may try to bury the past， but its legacy still haunts us。I received a free book from the publisher through Goodreads giveaways。 My review is fair and unbiased。 。。。more
Phil Lawless
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This book is a magnificent updating of Ellsworth's investigations about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre published on the 100th anniversary of the event。 It goes well beyond detailing the original content of his first book， Death in A Promised Land。Ellsworth is a historian and he displays here how historians operate in paying attention to details， using a multitude of sources， making guesses， and doing an immense amount of work。While I was reading this book after seeing the racism displayed at the U This book is a magnificent updating of Ellsworth's investigations about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre published on the 100th anniversary of the event。 It goes well beyond detailing the original content of his first book， Death in A Promised Land。Ellsworth is a historian and he displays here how historians operate in paying attention to details， using a multitude of sources， making guesses， and doing an immense amount of work。While I was reading this book after seeing the racism displayed at the U。 S。 Capitol on 1/6/2021， the white Tulsans were revealed to have such similar feelings about African-Americans。 The violence of the massacre is presented much more clearly than before。 。。。more
Rebecca
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Wow。 I don’t think I can describe how powerful this book is。 I think I need to come back to this review。
Makayla
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Wow。 I don't think I have the words to describe how powerful this journey through 100 years of uncovering and bringing the Tulsa Massacre tragedy to light is。 Scott has beautifully webbed together all the bits and pieces of Tulsa's history in a way that is heartbreaking， moving， and compelling in a way you don't want to set down。 I would highly recommend the read， especially as we approach on the 100th anniversary this may/june。 Wow。 I don't think I have the words to describe how powerful this journey through 100 years of uncovering and bringing the Tulsa Massacre tragedy to light is。 Scott has beautifully webbed together all the bits and pieces of Tulsa's history in a way that is heartbreaking， moving， and compelling in a way you don't want to set down。 I would highly recommend the read， especially as we approach on the 100th anniversary this may/june。 。。。more
Liz
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Having lived in Tulsa and met family members with stories from the Tulsa Race Massacre， this is a great read。 It is factual with also respecting the emotional， subjective aspects of the atrocities。
Brandon Westlake
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This is a great， important read that does a good job looking at the long stretch of history。 Many might know about the history but haven't had the chance to look at the impact of the events in Tulsa。 It's a good example of how history can be applied to understand the social scene of the current day。 One hundred years have passed， but the story continues on。 Ellsworth doesn't just look at how it affects descendants， but how it affects the city and the ongoing efforts to remember it。 This is a great， important read that does a good job looking at the long stretch of history。 Many might know about the history but haven't had the chance to look at the impact of the events in Tulsa。 It's a good example of how history can be applied to understand the social scene of the current day。 One hundred years have passed， but the story continues on。 Ellsworth doesn't just look at how it affects descendants， but how it affects the city and the ongoing efforts to remember it。 。。。more
Matthew Burris
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A good from 1921 to now recounting of the massacre story and the ongoing efforts to find the graves from someone integral to bringing it all back to light。
Jillian Doherty
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