AMH-2020 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: M. Hoke Smith, Disfranchisement, Convict Lease
Document Summary
During reconstruction (1865-1876: many blacks hold political office, african americans are voting for republicans, 1870s- democrats take over individual states again. The redeemers/bourbon democrats: pro-business democrats, tend to be upper class, laissez-faire economics, oppose coinage of silver. During the gilded age: pro-business dems control elections. Threaten or bribe black workers to vote for their candidate: policy-wise, redeemers do very little for african americans. Populist movement in the south (early 1890s: short lived 3rd party- political alliance of poor rural whites and poor blacks, lasts only a couple years before rural whites turn on the african americans. Southern black politics- late 1890s, early 1900s: dem party in the south splits into two factions. Pro-business dems- redeemers/bourbon dems: because blacks joined with the populists, their voting rights are in jeopardy. Progressive democrats hostile because blacks voted for pro-business bourbon. Bourbon dems unenthusiastic about protecting black voting rights given what.
