Memorializing whiteness in state standards and local history: A critical sociohistorical consciousness analysis of The Coup of 1898 and Southern racial violence

This paper examines the historical and modern treatment of the Wilmington Coup of 1898, a series of acts of Southern racialised violence that occurred in a coastal city in the Southern United States in fall of 1898. Using a critical sociohistorical consciousness framework, we analyse state standards and historical documents to identify the underpinnings of racism in the dominant narratives of the event, local commemoration of conspirators, and resulting economic inequalities. We then discuss how whiteness has influenced standards writing and the erection of community memorials related to 1898. Implications for curriculum standards, teacher education, and K-12 classrooms are provided.