Racial Differences in Black and White Residential Outcomes in the Sundown Era

Abstract

Using publicly available census and historical records, I compare the Sundown-era residential patterns and outcomes of Black and White residents from one small Wisconsin city between 1880 and 1930 to observe how sundown violence may have affected Black residential outcomes. Census summary data shows that while the White racial group population continued to grow at the state, county, and city levels, the Black population at the city level stalled before dropping to zero, providing evidence for sundown-type violence and exclusion against Black households by White city residents. For the Black residents (N = 18) whose histories I could trace, three outcomes were observed: remaining in the city, internally migrating to an adjacent county, and moving to much larger metropolitan areas that were already known as Black residential destinations. In contrast, the residential outcomes for White residents (n = 42) were much more varied in their residential destinations, both at the state/regional levels, and in the size of community settled in. I suggest that sundown-era displacement should be further considered in discussions of Black internal migration in the early 20^th century, and that residents of formerly sundown towns and cities need to confront their under-examined histories of racial exclusion.