8-5.4 South Carolina Politics after Reconstruction: Bourbons / Redeemers

Main Objective Today we will learn more about South Carolina’s government after Reconstruction which was controlled by the Conservative- Democrat Bourbons.

Politics in the United States: From 1860 to 1884, the Republican party controlled the federal government by _____________________. “Waving the Bloody Shirt”: Republicans kept reminding voters of the Civil War.

Politics in the United States: The end of Reconstruction was signaled by the election of Republican _______________ as president.

South Carolina Bourbon Democrats Politics after 1877 were dominated by Conservative Democrats The election of Wade Hampton ended reconstruction. He did not believe in social equality but did practice political equality : He appointed many blacks to minor offices.

Conservative Democrats 1. They were wealthy. 2. They had served as Confederate and political leaders 3. Most had opposed secession until Usually voted Democratic in national elections. 5. They believed in a limited state government with few services and low taxes. Because the Conservatives believed in limited state gov’t with few services. The effect was that they cut the state budget drastically and made sure the budget remained small.

How did they get the nickname?

Redeemers: Hampton’s supporters called him a Redeemer for returning Democrats to power in South Carolina.

Returning to Normal South Carolina Regroups after Reconstruction 1. Before the ending of Reconstruction, name two reasons SC was at the center of national events? 2. What great opportunity did Governor Wade Hampton III see at the end of Reconstruction? 3. Who were the “Redeemers?” Who were the “Bourbons?” 4. Why and how did Hampton attempt to protect the rights of African Americans? 5. What was Hampton’s ultimate goal in the years after Reconstruction? 6. Explain why many South Carolinians refer to the Civil War as the Lost Cause? 1. Before the ending of Reconstruction, name two reasons SC was at the center of national events? 2. What great opportunity did Governor Wade Hampton III see at the end of Reconstruction? 3. Who were the “Redeemers?” Who were the “Bourbons?” 4. Why and how did Hampton attempt to protect the rights of African Americans? 5. What was Hampton’s ultimate goal in the years after Reconstruction? 6. Explain why many South Carolinians refer to the Civil War as the Lost Cause?

The Beginnings of Jim Crow Because Wade Hampton was elected to the U.S. Senate, the Conservatives abandoned his racial policies. The Conservatives disfranchised blacks. Disfranchise- To take the right to vote away

Eight Box Law Required voters to place the ballots for each different office in a different box (there were eight boxes in all). If a vote was placed in a wrong box, it was disqualified. Was effective for eliminating many of the African American vote due to the poor reading ability of many blacks.

Disfranchise The Conservatives invented ways to make sure people who could not read could not vote. (Eight-box laws) The Conservatives also started a poll tax. This was tax that had to be paid in order to vote. Both of the measures discriminated against blacks and poor uneducated whites.

Proof it worked. Number of Republican Votes. 1876: 90, : 14,000

Poor Whites To protect the poor whites, the politicians passed a law containing the grandfather clause. Grandfather Clause: restored the right to vote to men who could not pay the poll tax, but whose grandfather could vote before the Civil War

The restrictions placed on blacks to vote were the beginning of Jim Crow Laws. Jim Crow Laws=Segregation= separation of the races

Jim Crow Jim Crow laws ensured that segregation became an accepted part of southern society. Most southern states adopted very similar laws. The U.S. Supreme Court approved segregation with its Plessy vs. Ferguson case ruling.

Plessy vs. Ferguson: The U.S. Supreme Court case that ruled “separate-but-equal” facilities were legal.

Railroads Schools Theaters Hotel Restaurants Restrooms Water Fountains Parks Public Offices Cemeteries

Those separate facilities were rarely equal to those available to whites.