Why did the village of Rosewood disappear in 1923? (The experience of black Americans)
This history ‘mystery’ enquiry is intended to help students develop their thinking and reasoning skills. In January 1923, after a white woman was assaulted in the nearby town of Sumner, a white mob descended on the village of Rosewood, Florida. During nearly a week of violence, there were several murders and the village was burned to the ground. The students have the task of working out why these terrible events took place.
As with all good mysteries, it does not have a simple mono-causal explanation and the uncertainty created makes students realise that history is rarely about finding definitive answers. It serves as a stimulating introduction to the lives of black people living the USA in the first half of the 20th century.
