Struggle for Mastery

by Perman, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780807849095
• ISBN10: 080784909X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-03-01
• Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Pr

Summary

Around 1900, the southern states embarked on a series of political campaigns aimed at disfranchising large numbers of voters. By 1908, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia had succeeded in depriving virtually all African Americans, and a large number of lower-class whites, of the voting rights they had possessed since Reconstruction--rights they would not regain for over half a century. Struggle for Mastery is the most complete and systematic study to date of the history of disfranchisement in the South. After examining the origins and objectives of disfranchisement, Michael Perman traces the process as it unfolded state by state. Because he examines each state within its region-wide context, he is able to identify patterns and connections that have previously gone unnoticed. Broadening the context even further, Perman explores the federal government's seeming acquiescence in this development, the relationship between disfranchisement and segregation, and the political system that emerged after the decimation of the South's electorate. The result is an insightful and persuasive interpretation of this highly significant, yet generally misunderstood, episode in U.S. history.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	xi
Introduction: Disfranchisement in History	1	(8)
Devising Disfranchisement: ``The Great Problem'' in Its Final Phase	9	(28)
Supervising the South: Federal Election Laws, 1890-1894	37	(11)
Embarking on Disfranchisement: Tennessee and Arkansas, 1889-1892	48	(22)
Harmonizing Rival Factions I: Mississippi, 1890	70	(21)
Harmonizing Rival Factions II: South Carolina, 1895	91	(25)
Conciliating the South: McKinley Administration, 1896-1901	116	(8)
Defeating Fusion I: Louisiana, 1898	124	(24)
Defeating Fusion II: North Carolina, 1898-1900	148	(25)
Reforming the Black Belt I: Alabama, 1901	173	(22)
Reforming the Black Belt II: Virginia, 1901-1902	195	(29)
Exonerating the South: Congress, 1901-1906	224	(21)
Reinforcing Disfranchisement: The Rise of Segregation	245	(25)
Forging a Reform Coalition: Texas and Georgia, 1901-1908	270	(29)
Finishing Disfranchisement: The Direct Primary and the Eviscerated Electorate	299	(22)
Conclusion: Disfranchisement in Context	321	(8)
Notes	329	(44)
Bibliography	373	(14)
Index	387