A Nation Divided, c1845–1877 – Radical Reconstruction, 1867–1877 (A-level…

The idea

Resistance to Radical Reconstruction in the South was multifaceted, driven by a desire to restore white supremacy. Southern Democrats, often styling themselves as 'Redeemers', sought to oust Republican coalition governments and 'redeem' their states from perceived northern and African-American dominance. This political resistance was brutally enforced by paramilitary groups like the Ku Klux Klan, who used terror, lynching, and intimidation to suppress Republican support. A central battleground was the issue of voter registration; despite the Fifteenth Amendment, white southerners employed violence, economic coercion, and later legislative loopholes to prevent African-Americans from registering and exercising their newly granted franchise, effectively undermining Radical Reconstruction.

What earns the marks

• Explain the political aims of the 'Redeemers' in dismantling Republican state governments in the South.
• Analyse the methods used by the Ku Klux Klan, including violence and intimidation, to suppress the African-American and white Republican vote.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of Southern Democratic resistance in regaining political control of southern states by the mid-1870s.
• Assess the specific tactics used to obstruct African-American voter registration, such as physical threats at polls and economic blackmail by white employers.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Confusing 'Redeemers' with Radical Republicans.

  Put it right: Redeemers were conservative Southern Democrats seeking to end Reconstruction, not enforce it.

• Stating that African-Americans completely stopped voting immediately after the Civil War.

  Put it right: They voted in large numbers during early Radical Reconstruction until resistance and intimidation severely curtailed their registration.

Exam tips

• Use specific examples of Klan violence, such as the Colfax Massacre, to illustrate the extreme nature of resistance to voter registration.
• Link the political goals of the Southern Democrats directly to the violent methods of the KKK to show how political and social resistance intertwined.
• When discussing voter registration, explicitly mention the Fifteenth Amendment to demonstrate understanding of the constitutional context being resisted.