“R” is for Reconstruction. The defeat of the Confederacy in 1865 posed a problem for the federal government: how were the defeated states to be brought back into the Union? This probationary period of federal control was termed “Reconstruction.” Congress passed the Reconstruction Acts that mandated all adult males be registered to vote. Under the South Carolina Constitution of 1868, the state’s black majority and its white Republican Party allies controlled government. In South Carolina more legislation was passed to improve the condition of freedmen than was accomplished in any other state. Most white South Carolinians never admitted the legitimacy of the Republican government and launched a campaign of terror against it that culminated in the tumultuous state and presidential elections of 1876. Reconstruction in South Carolina ended with the withdrawal of U.S. Army troops in April 1877.
“R” is for Reconstruction
