Red Summer is a term coined by the NAACP, describing a series of 25 or more race riots in the USA during the summer and fall of 1919.

These riots were caused by rapid demobilization and lack of price control, which led to unemployment and inflation, sparking racial tensions between blacks and whites competing for jobs. They were intensified by the Red Scare, labelling blacks who wanted racial equality as radicals.

Unlike earlier race riots in US history, these riots were among the first where there was an organized black response - black leaders promoted violence as self-defense.

References

• Erickson, Alana J. Red Summer. In Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History. New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan, 1996.