- Introduction
The reconstruction era, which lasted from 1863 to 1877, was a tumultuous period in the United States of America’s history. Just a few years earlier, several states had seceded and attempted to become independent. The civil war then ensued, and more states again seceded. When all the disruptions and turmoil caused by the war came to an end, the union embarked on a mission to redress all the inequalities and grievances that the seceding states and their people had so bitterly complained about. For the first time in American history, extensive attention was given to black Americans who were allowed to vote for the first time. Scholars and observers have hailed the period as the first time in America’s long and checkered history that interracial democracy was first practiced.
Political activities were heightened. Angling for the new black voters, political factions pulled all the stops that they thought would make them win. The republicans ultimately won the black vote by inflaming black supremacy sentiments on the black community and managed to bring the Republican Party to power. For the first time, the vote would be determined by the black voters. It was almost definite that whichever side they voted for would carry the day.
The structure of the federal state was also altered completely and took a turn. Numerous constitutional amendments that brought far-reaching changes were enacted. They have famously been christened the reconstruction acts. They outlined the conditions and modalities of readmitting the southern states which had seceded earlier back to the union. The black American community was consequently recognized as part and parcel of the United States fraternity, not as mere slaves but as fully-fledged citizens with the right to vote.
It is worthy to note that many of the tumult during the period were predominantly in the south. This is because the states that seceded were mostly southern states. All through the previous union, the southern states had felt different. Many combining factors set them apart from their counterparts, and some felt they lacked identity in the union and consequently sought to secede. Some of those factors were their seeming unwillingness to let go of slave labor and white chauvinism over the blacks and their agricultural patterns, which were markedly different from those of the other states in the union.
Poor white southerners were some of the people who were greatly affected by the turmoil of the era. They suddenly found themselves in unfamiliar territory, where the hitherto subjugated blacks had a voice and could participate in democratic processes. At the same time, their abhorrence towards the rich white planters grew. This paper will examine this predicament that the poor white southerners faced, how they felt, and how the whole situation affected them. But first of all, it would be prudent to look at the historical context and all the factors that precipitated the reconstruction era.