Anatomy of Four Race Riots: Racial Conflict in Knoxville, Elaine (Arkansas), Tulsa and Chicago, 1919-1921 by Lee E. Williams and Lee E. Williams II Anatomy of Four Race Riots is a study of the terrible racial violence that erupted in four different American communities during the post World War I years, racial violence that left hundreds dead or injured and a massive amount of destruction in its wake. Although the igniting incident or event varied somewhat, there was a similarity in the racial climate that existed in each town. The emerging blacks, boosted economically and idealistically by the war effort, were viewed as a threat by some of the whites. The bloody confrontations described here were grave evidence of the intensity of the fear and hatred that existed between a portion of the races. Lee E. Williams (deceased) was Dean for Administration at Jackson State University. Lee E. Williams II is Professor of History at the University of Alabama, Huntsville.