This is really annoying to me as someone who has studied the history of the Cape Fear region of NC because this region has much more history rooted in the colonial, revolutionary, civil war, and civil rights eras of American history. 1/ https://twitter.com/wectnews/status/1300157667219058693

In the colonial era, Wilmington was one of the busiest port cities in the colonies. With the region's naval stores and lumber from its large pine forests, more than 9,000 pounds of goods passed through Wilmington yearly. The port was one of the most profitable in the colonies. 2/

As revolution approached, Wilmington was a hub of patriot sentiment. When the port of Boston closed, merchants from Wilmington freely sent goods to Boston to support the locals affected by the Coercive Acts. 3/

Wilmington's strong resolve even prevented direct invasion by the British early in the war, locals' victory in a small battle at Moore's Creek Bridge against Scottish and others loyal to England from Fayetteville steered English invasion to Charleston instead. 4/

During the Civil War, Union forces executed the largest amphibious operation of the war, capturing Fort Fisher, leading to the fall of Wilmington as the last Confederate port in January 1865, one of the final blows to the Confederacy. 51 Union soldiers earned Medals of Honor. 5/

During Reconstruction, Wilmington became a very prosperous city with many successful African American businessmen and politicians in power. It was one of the best cities in the country for African Americans, a real beacon for what the country could be. 6/

Sadly this all changed when a faction of some 2,000 white supremacists rioted, attacking and killing as many as 300+ African Americans and displacing thousands more, burning their business and forcing politicians and businessmen to give up their positions. 7/

After the 1898 insurrection, Wilmington became extremely hostile towards African American residents, a tragedy for what was one of the most prosperous and diverse cities in the country. Something that has yet to be reckoned with in the city. 8/

In the 60s and 70s, Wilmington became a hub for civil rights activists in North Carolina. Tensions between the legacy of 1898 and the young, bright organizers of the Civil Rights movement post-MLK resulted in the wrongful arrests of ten organizers, known as the Wilmington Ten. 9/

The Wilmington Ten, led by activist Ben Chavis of Oxford, NC (a city with its own racial injustices at the time), became classified as political prisoners, even requiring action from Amnesty International. 10/

The Wilmington Ten had their sentences overturned in 1980, years after they were wrongly incarcerated. 11/

Instead of honoring something more significant to the people of Wilmington and the Cape Fear region, Trump comes to the city to give it an "honor" just because some kids won a penny drive to get the Battleship USS North Carolina docked in the Cape Fear River. 12/

The ceremony today was nothing but a political stunt. The city chose to accept an honor couched in comfortable history, taking the high ground rather than taking on history that actually needs to be faced and recognized. It's lazy campaigning and lazy history. 13/13