Civil Rights - FP1 - White Backlash Flashcards
Aims of Southern Whites
Resistance to Radical Reconstruction, control of state govts for Dems, intimidations against AA, destruction of the Repubs, subordination of AA, enforcement of pre-war social hierachy and cotton economy
Organisations: KKK
Formed Dec 1865 by ex confeds in TN
Struck hard in Alabma and MIssisippi
Major terror organisation who where secretive, engaged in the supernatural, and rituals
Drew support from all section of white commnity - and encouraged by democrates
1/2m in South alone - hard to eradicate
Organisations: Knights of White Camelia and the White League
Knights - Founded 1867, based in Louisianna and supported by upper class southerners
White League - Founded Mar 1874, based in Louisiana and was paramilitary group heavily connected to the Dems
Methods: Lynching
Premeditated extrajudicial killing by a group - informal public execution to intimidate/control a group
1868-71 estimated KKK involved in 400 lynchings
Few leaders tried and most released by 1875
Targets: AA
Primary Targets = pol figures ie teachers, church ministers, pol figures
Oct 1866 - 42 killed at Caddo Parish Lousiana
1870 after ratification of 15th almost every black church in Alabama burnt down
KKK killed 50 AA teachers, and destroyed 25 school in MIssissippi in response to public school law
Caldwell Repub leader shot 30 times Dec 1875
Rainey Mar 1871 who was a repub supporter and officer of militia
Targets: Repubs
Carpetbaggers - Fortune driven out of Floride by KKK, 1870 - armed mob attacked Repub Rally killing 4 and wounding 54
KKK murdered 3 scalawag members of Georgia legislature 1870
Response to violence: State govts
Laws banning people from joining organisation disturbing the peace
Some states such as Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas enlisted black/inter-racial militias
Convictions rare as witnesses scared to testify, and KKK provide alibis and influence jury decisions
Response to violence: Federal govt
1870 - Enforcement Act - crime for multiple people to act to deprive a person of a right or punish them for exercising it
1871 Enforcement Act - election of congressmen under surveillance of officials
1871 KKK Act gave President Grant and federal tropps the power to arrest KKK without legal protections, made interference with citizens’ rights federal charges = more objective hearing, used Oct 1871 to declare marital law in South Carolina which lead to prosecutions from Nov 1871 to 1872 - 1888 cases awaiting trial pardoned 1873 and others already convicted pardoned as cases ran out of steam
Organisations: Effects
By 1872 KKK generally supressed
In the long term, the KKK was revived in 1920s
ex-confed soldiers often accompanied Dems and made life difficult for Repubs
Notable cases: Colfax and Coushatta
Colfax massacre Louisiana Apr 1873 - Local Dem sheriff Christopher Columbus Nash attacked black militia protecting the state court house - 280 killed in total
US v Cruikshank 1876 reversed criminal convictions under Enforcement Act as this was a state affair - this stripped the power of the Enforcement Act
Coushatta massacre Aug 1874 Louisiana - White League force 6 Repub officials to resign then murdered them along with 5 AA
Notable cases: Battle of Liberty Place
Battle of Liberty Place New Orleans, Sep 1874
3400 White League demand resignation of governor Wiliam Kellogg and replacement by Joh McEnery, the unsuccessful Dem candidate in the 1872 election
White League route black militia and police in following violence and Dems win 1874 elections
Notable cases: Mississippi Plan
Mississippi Plan 1875 - systematic campaign of physical threats and violence against Repub voters enable white supremacists to take over the govt illegaly 1875
75 blacks killed during race riots led by red shirts in Dec 1874
Dems win control 1876
Notable cases: South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana
South Carolina - Red shirts help ex CSA general to govenor - Hamburg massacre Jul 1876 - first of series of events to disturb Repub voters
Similar events in Loisiana and Florida
