A White Southern Perspective on Reconstruction (1868)
- What are Howell Cobb’s reasons to oppose reconstruction policies?
He felt that the Southern people’s submission at the end of the war as more than admirable and that the policies that were taking their property and putting them under military rule was oppressive as it stripped them of their constitutional rights. He felt that since the point of the war was to bring the states back into the union, that after conquering them and stripping them of their rights, which this was in a form hypocritical.
- Which policies does he particularly dispute? Why? Provide specific examples.
Howell Cobb particularly disputed making African Americans equal citizens. Since after the civil war they were given equal rights and allowed to vote, with the North’s military protecting their right to vote. He felt the military intervention and the North’s aggressive push to give them fair representation and allow them positions of authority was in part unconstitutional and only served to force the south under the rule of their former slaves. As he said,
“ […] and are now struggling by all the means in their power both legal and illegal, constitutional and unconstitutional, to make our former slaves our masters, bringing these Southern states under the power of negro supremacy.”
- In what ways did white southerners react to Reconstruction?
White southerners were pretty passive. As most of the war had taken place in the south, the region was extensively devastated. The passive attitude stayed for a while, but eventually they started protesting the military occupation and policies that were being implemented. Fearing that they would lose the freedom and justice the nation was known for.
- How might Cobb have reacted to Thaddeus Stevens’ speech?
Howell Cobb would have no doubt reacted extremely negatively of Steven’s speech, as Steven’s proposals and views of the South were quite extreme. There would not be much in his speech that Cobb would not have found oppressive and against the principles of the nation. Cobb already felt that the point of the war was to bring the south back into the Union. Treating the South as conquered territories certainly would have been appalling to him, though probably the most appalling to Cobb would have been the suggestion of turning over Southern land to their former slaves. He probably would have viewed this as unconstitutional theft of southern property rights, though more tormented for the fact it was being given to people he deemed inferior and merely another way the North was attempting to force them under African American Supremacy.