7. Wilmington (North Carolina)
Wilmington, North Carolina, stood out as a thriving, majority-Black city with Black elected officials and successful Black-owned businesses in the late 19th century. In 1898, white supremacists orchestrated a violent coup, forcibly removing Black leaders from office and setting fire to homes and businesses in a coordinated attack. This event, known as the Wilmington Insurrection, is recognized as the only successful coup d’etat in U.S. history, fundamentally altering the city’s power structure and erasing much of its Black prosperity. Smithsonian Magazine provides background
