In a 67-47 vote, legislators approved a bill that recognized the riots that ousted an integrationist government in Wilmington and bolstered segregationist Democrats.

Rep. Thomas Wright, a Wilmington Democrat, said it was one of 10 bills related to recommendations from the Wilmington Race Riot Commission.

Lawmakers defeated an amendment to add wording acknowledging that Democrats, News & Observer publisher Josephus Daniels and others were also behind the riots.

Rep. Paul Stam, an Apex Republican who is House minority leader, said the bill was rewriting history by leaving out the role of the Democratic Party, the newspaper and others behind the coup.

"If you want to do history, we have to do it right," Stam said.

Rep. Dan Blue, a Wake Democrat, said that both Republicans and Democrats contributed to the problems of racism during the 19th and 20th centuries.

"There's enough blame to go around for everybody regardless of partisan bent," he said.

The amendment's failure led some Republicans to vote against the measure. Others, such as Republican Rep. Edgar Starnes of Hickory, were concerned it would lay the groundwork for reparations or other legal measures.

Rep. John Blust, a Greensboro Republican, said he wasn't sure why legislators should bother, because the riots happened several generations ago.

"Nobody in my district had anything to do with any of these activities," he said.