Reconstruction in the South

(This post is part of my homework from American History 2)

Sometimes it seems as if American history is still being defined and influenced by the issue of trafficking humans for monetary profit. It still makes the news in South Carolina, and the authorities have become vigilant against the industry. There are segments of the American society who will do anything for money, and they find it useful to maintain their supremacy against whomever might challenge their economic status. The proponents of the slave trade in the 19th century did not have any qualms about utilizing a system of terror to maintain the status quo. The slave industry was not only about the utilization of slaves in the south, but also about the supply of humans, which included enterprises in the North and UK. This became a factor in the abolitionist's movement and the Civil War.

When William Lloyd Garrison, editor of "The Liberator" in Boston, Massechusetts who was considered the most radical abolitionist, advocated succession from the union on the basis of its acceptance of the slave trade and those who utilized slaves, he faced physical abuse along with other whites who challenged the industry. Mr. Garrison said in 1831, "I do not wish to think, or speak, or write, with moderation. . . . I am in earnest -- I will not equivocate -- I will not excuse -- I will not retreat a single inch -- AND I WILL BE HEARD." He was a catalyst in the movement that transpired over the next 30 years to utilize government to bring equality to the slaves, although he himself did not believe the government was capable of it.

Angelina Grimke from Charleston, South Carolina became the first American woman to address a legislature, besides being one of the first Southerners to speak out against slavery, perhaps because of the organized intimidation against them. This was an extension of the lynching that blacks received on a regular basis in order to maintain the status quo.

The Republican party of the time, still considered and widely accepted as "radical," adopted the philosophy that the slave trade must be abandoned and equality granted to every male in America. Although Lincoln took a more tolerant view of the slave trade, after the war the push for more radical reform of the agriculture industry in the south and the utilization of humans won out, and sweeping measures were adopted and enforced by the federal government with the presence of troops to provide stability. (question #2)

The Wade Davis bill, submitted by Benjamin Wade and Henry Winter Davis required states to renounce slavery and succession from the union, to grant blacks citizenship and the right to vote, and to accept a provisional governor and essentially a complete provisional government, in effect. It also required an "Ironclad Oath" --more than 50% of white males in a state that had succeeded had to affirm that they had never supported the confederacy, in effect keeping states as territories until that number could be met. Historically, this has been seen as outrageous, although the 14th amendment is in keeping with the spirit of these measures. (Question #2)

The situation was temporarily improved for the black man in the south, although it was only the presence of troops that had improved them. Ultimately, the conflict between white southerners who advocated the use of slaves and the federal government was ended in certain states, such as South Carolina, when the troops left and the provisional government collapsed to the factions that would later become the KKK. In 1876, the democrats gained control over the U.S. legislature and Rutherford B. Hayes, a republican, was voted POTUS. The pressure to end occupation was great, which would also effectively end the effort to reconstruct the south. The Compromise of 1877 was an informal agreement reached in order to stop the contesting of Haye's election over Samuel Tilden. U.S. Congressional Democrats threatened to fillibuster until after inauguration day, which is required in the Constitution, in order to leave the country with no president and no clear leadership of the military, perhaps opening it to the threat of a coup. Slaves had been granted their freedom, so to maintain order and avoid what appeared to be a threat of war, General Grant withdrew, leaving democrats who advocated white control and the oppression of blacks to continue their control of the southern states. (Question #4, 7)

The reign of terror on the southern states would continue for a hundred years. All sorts of tactics to control became the experience and culture of blacks in America across the nation, including the use of sharecropping and separate public facilities. In Plessy Vs. Ferguson, a man (who actually had no physical resemblance to a black) was barred from using a railroad car. The court upheld the use of separate, but equal facilities for blacks, and this ruling would be used to maintain their oppression until 1954 when it was overturned. (Question #5)

In 1915, "The Birth of a Nation" became a film of great renown because it is considered the first modern movie. It was essentially propoganda to clean up the reputation of the Ku Klux Klan. Perhaps the publicity over the system of terror that the KKK was using caused the public to move to a more moderate position, but the locus of power remained with those who committed acts of domestic terror. In my opinion, the culture of blacks has been dominated by the use of a system of terror, and the statistics that appear to prejudiced men to affirm their beliefs about the black race have been skewed to predispose blacks to an experience that is more criminal. (Question #3, 7)