Red shirts

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The Red Shirts or Redshirts ( English for "Red Shirts") or Rough Riders was a paramilitary group of white southerners who were active in the reconstruction period after the Civil War . The organization was founded in Mississippi in 1875 when Democratic Party militia units began wearing red shirts to intimidate Republican Party members.

The most famous Red Shirts were the supporters of Wade Hampton III. in the South Carolina gubernatorial elections in 1876 ​​and 1878. The Red Shirts were one of several paramilitaries - such as the White League in Louisiana - that arose out of efforts by white Democrats to regain political power in the south in the 1870s. These organizations were also known as the "armed arm of the Democratic Party".

The organization was at times involved in terrorist activities . In contrast to the Ku Klux Klan , the White League, Red Shirts and similar groups operated openly and were better organized. They were united by one goal: to restore the rule of the Democratic Party in the south through the suppression of the Republican Party. This was usually done through the suppression of civil rights and electoral participation of the freed slaves . The Red Shirts played a prominent role in intimidating non-Democratic voters in North Carolina in the 1876, 1898, and 1900 elections .

Origin and symbolism

According to E. Merton Coulter in The South During Reconstruction , the Red Shirts were founded by "Southern Brigadiers " in Mississippi to counterbalance black Republicans. The organization interrupted Republican party events, intimidated and temporarily murdered black leaders. They also exerted pressure to reduce the black turnout.

In South Carolina, the first appearance was at a Democratic torchlight march in Charleston on August 25, 1876. It was a protest against a speech by Republican Senator Oliver Morton , with which he sought support for his hard line in enforcing the Reconstruction in South Carolina. The red shirt should symbolize the rapid spread. The defendants from the Hamburg massacre in 1876 ​​also wore red shirts when the indictment was brought up on September 5. Martin Gary , the organizer of the 1876 Democratic election campaign, had his supporters appear in red shirts at all party events.

Thus the red shirt became a symbol of the resistance of white Democrats against Republican rule in South Carolina. Women wore flannel shirts and made dresses from red cloth. It had also become fashionable to wear red headbands to show political conviction. For young men, on the other hand, a red shirt was seen as a token of reparation because they were too young for military service and therefore had not been able to contribute to the “ lost cause ”.

South carolina

The Democrats organized parades and marches in every county of South Carolina. Many of the participants were armed and came on horses, all wearing red clothing. When Wade Hampton or other Democrats made speeches, the Red Shirts responded enthusiastically and chanted campaign slogans like "Hurray for Hampton". The entire event acted as a drive for agreement and motivation for those present.

The Red Shirts wanted to intimidate the audience - blacks and whites - into voting democratically or not at all. The Red Shirts, like other similar organizations, were mainly active in the states that had a black majority of the population . They disrupted Republican party meetings, interrupted gatherings, and intimidated black voters into voting. Many blacks stopped voting out of fear, while others voted for the Democrats under pressure. The Red Shirts did not shy away from using violence. In the Piedmont counties ( Aiken , Edgefield & Barnwell ) black people who voted were kidnapped and flogged. Some leaders were also murdered. In the 1876 ​​presidential election , Edgefield and Laurens Counties voted "early and open," while blacks were prevented from voting.

Armed and mounted Red Shirts accompanied Hampton on his tour of the state. Sometimes they interrupted Republican meetings, but most of the time they remained silent in the background. Sometimes a barbecue was held to which local Republicans were invited to get them to vote democratically.

Hampton positioned himself as a statesman who promised support for education as well as protection from violence, which Governor Daniel Henry Chamberlain could not guarantee. A few blacks voted for him, but the majority remained loyal to the Republicans. The 1876 campaign was the "most turbulent in the history of South Carolina". Historians who opposed the Reconstruction found that "more than 150 negroes were murdered in South Carolina" during the campaign.

After the elections on November 7, the outcome was initially unclear. Both Chamberlain and Hampton declared themselves victorious. Because of the massive irregularities, the Republican MP Edmund Mackey called for the expulsion of the Democratic members from Edgefield and Laurens Counties from the House of Representatives . On December 3, some 5,000 Red Shirts marched outside the parliament building to defend the Democrats. Hampton called for calm and the Red Shirts peeled off.

As part of the national compromise, on April 3, 1877 , President Rutherford B. Hayes ordered the withdrawal of the army from South Carolina. The white Democrats then completed their takeover of power in the state. In the gubernatorial elections in 1878, the Red Shirts appeared only weakly. Hampton was re-elected with no organized opponent, with more than 98% of the vote.

Later South Carolina Democrats such as Benjamin Tillman and Ellison D. Smith proudly referred to the Red Shirts relationship as a bona fide for white supremacy .

North Carolina

A red shirt, as worn in the 1898 election, in the North Carolina Museum of History

The Red Shirts were active in Raleigh, North Carolina and were involved in the Wilmington massacre of 1898. The Raleigh News & Observer reported on November 4, 1898:

“The first Red Shirt parade on horseback ever witnessed in Wilmington electrified the people today. It created enthusiasm among the whites and consternation among the Negroes. The whole town turned out to see it. It was an enthusiastic body of men. Otherwise it was quiet and orderly. "

“The first horseback Red Shirts parade electrified the people of Wilmington who witnessed it. It generated enthusiasm among whites and dismay among negroes. The whole city had come to see them. It was an enthusiastic male body. Otherwise it was calm and orderly. "

Six days later, a group of local men attempted to overthrow the government when the Republicans won the mayor and councilor elections. It was the only coup in United States history.

The Red Shirts were part of a democratic campaign against the multi-racial coalition of republicans and populists , which gained control of parliament in the 1894 elections and achieved the election of a republican governor in 1896. Such coalitions also existed in other states in the south, where they endangered the rule of the white democrats. Middle and upper class whites feared the involvement of the freed slaves and poor whites.

To destroy this coalition, the Democrats used intimidation techniques to lower the turnout for black Republicans. Their success led to the recapture of parliament in 1896. This passed new laws and a constitution that deprived most blacks and many poor whites of their right to vote. Measures introduced included election taxes and illiteracy tests .

Between 1896 and 1904, the black turnout fell to almost zero. In addition to election taxes, illiteracy tests, proof of housing and the grandfather clause, this is also due to new, more complicated electoral rules. Other states in the south followed, beginning with the adoption of a new constitution in Mississippi in 1890. By 1900, after a decade of white supremacy , many people had forgotten that North Carolina also had a growing black middle class.

Ascent

Due to the loss of political importance of the Democrats in North Carolina, the party as well as the Red Shirts decided as a goal to regain absolute power. The Red Shirts made this possible by intimidating black voters, which virtually eliminated black votes in the state. The organization's first appearance was on October 21, 1898 at a demonstration in Fayetteville . In this well kept Benjamin Tillman , a prominent official from South Carolina, a speech. The Red Shirts in North Carolina came from all walks of life, including teachers, farmers, and traders, as well as some high-profile members of the Democratic Party. The activities of the Red Shirts were primarily concentrated on the counties along the border with South Carolina.

Much of the first activity occurred at the beginning of the white supremacy movement between 1898 and 1900. This developed after the rise of blacks in state government between 1894 and 1897. The "fearful and desperate" Democratic Party then launched campaigns to establish white supremacy , in which the Red Shirts should become an important partner.

Unlike the Ku Klux Klan, the Red Shirts only cooperated with the Democratic Party, and its members also refrained from hiding their identity. On the contrary, they wanted the people of North Carolina, and those who opposed the Democrats in particular, to know who they were. After the elections of 1898, they had become an important political factor.

Election 1898

At the beginning of the Red Shirt Terror, Republican Senator Jeter Pritchard asked President McKinley if he would send Marshals Service officials "to keep the peace." The Red Shirts used primarily non-violent methods of intimidation, but sometimes used brute force to prevent non-Democrats from voting. As intimidation increased, gun purchases by black and white alike increased. Pritchard noted in his letter that the Red Shirts are most active in the counties where "colored people dominate" and that the organization primarily attacks black people.

Republican Governor Daniel Lindsay Russell said that "armed and lawless" men had settled on the southern border and were responsible for an increase in crime and violence. The Red Shirts would disrupt political gatherings of non-Democrats with "threats, intimidation and current violence". By intimidating them, the Red Shirts succeeded in preventing many people from registering as voters. On October 26th, Russell called on all "unkind persons" to cease their "illegal acts" and "keep the peace." The Red Shirts responded to the appeal by increasing their activities.

Before the election

In the week before the election, the Red Shirts intensified their activities. The threat was so ubiquitous that many Republican and Fusionist speakers canceled their appearances. Shortly before the November 2, 1898 election, the Morning Star from Wilmington reported on a major campaign event at which the Red Shirt-related Claude Kitchin was an important speaker. The event also included a march of 1,000 red-shirted men who marched 10 miles into the black-majority areas of Richmond County . The aim was to show their “determination to free themselves from Negro rule.” The newspaper also reported that “many Negroes had removed their names from the registration list”.

election day

On November 8, 1898, the Red Shirts increased their intimidation measures again. They rode armed through the constituencies to keep Republicans, Blacks and Fusionists out of the polls. The Democrats won the election with a majority of 25,000 votes. A great victory celebration was organized by Josephus Daniels to commemorate the supremacy of the white race and the "salvation of the state from Negro rule".

Elections 1900

Before the election

The 1900 election was different from others in that it was split. One was held in August and the other was held in November. The White Supremacy campaign was repeated, using slogans such as "White rule for TarHeels", "White supremacy" or "No negro rule". The Red Shirts and the Democratic Party wanted to secure their victory in the August election by intimidating black voters. They realized that the number of black votes would decrease if they managed to “demoralize black leaders”. On election day, Abe Middleton, a prominent black leader and former Republican county chairman of Duplin County , was symbolically "killed". His wife found a prepared coffin in her garden. Middleton himself testified after the election that the number of shootings near his home had increased. While Middleton was not intimidated by this, other blacks noticed these actions and did not vote. The methods of intimidation were so effective that many black people left their homes and some of them fled to the swamps.

The Red Shirts continued to attack white Democrats. The New York Times reported on August 2 that the day before the election, a speech by Mr. Teague, the populist speaker, was interrupted and his platform was destroyed. The Red Shirts received indirect support from members of the law enforcement authorities, who in many places failed to prevent their attacks. When Teague traveled to Dunn County, he was kidnapped by the Red Shirts and removed from town. Other prominent Democratic competitors, such as Marion Butler, were also disrupted by litters of rotten eggs at their events. Because of the mounting disruption, the Johnson County Republican Chairman asked Governor Russell about deploying military units.

election day

On election day, the Red Shirts were far more present than they were in 1898. They appeared at polling stations, armed on horseback, and attempted to intimidate blacks and Republican voters. The success of this intimidation in the August election was ultimately reflected in Aycock's victory in the gubernatorial election in November. The result of 186,650 to 126,296 votes was considered to be the “largest majority” that a candidate for governor “ever achieved”.

After the win in November, the Red Shirts disappeared from the public eye. The reason was the different positions of the members. The Red Shirts were primarily made up of poor whites, while the Democratic Party represented the interests of rich whites. After the inauguration of Aycock, they parted ways and the visibility of the Red Shirts steadily decreased.

Today's Red Shirts

The League of the South in South Carolina has a special membership category known as "Red Shirts". The Red Shirts organize demonstrations to preserve the flag of the Confederate States and against Martin Luther King Day . Also against politicians who they see as scalawags or carpetbaggers , such as Lindsey Graham , Bob Inglis and John McCain . They are also holding " trials " against Abraham Lincoln and William Tecumseh Sherman .

The goals of the Red Shirts include the enforcement of “God's Law” as the accepted “standard of conduct”, the elimination of all “influence and control” of the federal government and authorities, and a reduction in the influence of the government at all levels. In addition, there is the support of a “southern culture”, which refers to “Biblical truths”.

Web links

literature

  • William Watts Ball: A boy's recollections of the Red Shirt campaign of 1876 in South Carolina. The Club, Columbia, SC 1911. (online at Community Books)
  • William Watts Ball: The State That Forgot: South Carolina's Surrender to Democracy. The Bobbs-Merril Company, Indianapolis 1932.
  • Edmund L. Drago: Hurray for Hampton !: Black Red Shirts in South Carolina during Reconstruction. University of Arkansas, 1998, ISBN 1-55728-541-1 .
  • Helen G. Edmonds: The Negro and Fusion politics in North Carolina 1894-1901. The University of North Carolina Press, 2003, ISBN 0-8078-5549-9 . (online at Google Books)
  • Edgar Walter: South Carolina A History. University of South Carolina Press, 1998, ISBN 1-57003-255-6 .
  • John S. Reynolds: Reconstruction in South Carolina. Negro University Press, 1969, ISBN 0-8371-1638-4 .
  • William Arthur Sheppard: Some Reasons Why Red Shirts Remembered. The Chas P. Smith Company, Greer 1940.
  • William Arthur Sheppard: Red Shirts Remembered. Ruralist Press, Atlanta 1940.
  • Francis Butler Simkins & Robert Hilliard Woody: South Carolina During Reconstruction. The University of North Carolina Press, Durham 1932.
  • Henry Tazewell Thompson: Ousting the carpetbagger from South Carolina. Press of the RL Bryan company, Columbia 1926.
  • Alfred B. Williams: Hampton and his Red shirts; South Carolina's deliverance in 1876. Walker, Evans & Cogswell Company, 1935.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b 1898 Wilmington race riot report - Page 461. Retrieved on August 4, 2020 (English).
  2. ^ Charles Lane: The Day Freedom Died. 2008, p. 247.
  3. ↑ George C. Rable: But There Was No Peace: The Role of Violence in the Politics of Reconstruction. University of Georgia Press, Athens 1984, p. 132.
  4. ↑ Nicholas Lemann: Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War. Farrar Strauss & Giroux, New York City 2007, pp. 74-80.
  5. ^ William Watts Ball: The State That Forgot: South Carolina's Surrender to Democracy. The Bobbs-Merril Company, Indianapolis 1932, p. 158.
  6. ↑ Eric Foner: Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877. Perennial Classics, New York City 2002, pp. 574-575.
  7. ↑ Eric Foner: Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877. Perennial Classics, New York City 2002, pp. 572-573.
  8. ↑ Nicholas Lemann: Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War. Farrar Strauss & Giroux, New York City 2007, p. 174.
  9. ^ Constitutional Commentary: Democracy, Anti-Democracy, and the Canon . P. 27, published 2000, accessed November 20, 2013.
  10. ^ Constitutional Commentary: Democracy, Anti-Democracy, and the Canon . Pp. 12-13, published 2000, accessed November 20, 2013.
  11. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m The Journal of Negro History: The Red Shirt Movement in North Carolina 1898–1900 . by H. Leon Prather, published 1977.
  12. ↑ a b Helen G. Edmonds: The Negro and Fusion Politics in North Carolina, 1894-1901. 1951.
  13. ↑ a b c d e North Carolina Historical Review: Red Shirt Violence, Election Fraud, and the Demise of the Populist Party in North Carolina's Third Congressional District, 1900. by James M. Beeby, published 2008.
  14. ^ Morning Star: White Men Show Their Determination to Rid themselves of Negro Rule: A Thousand Red Shirts ( Memento June 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ). November 2, 1898, accessed November 20, 2013.
  15. ^ A b The New York Times : Riots in North Carolina: Red Shirts Drive Off Populist Speakers and Destroy Stand . dated August 2, 1900, accessed November 20, 2013.
  16. ^ League of the South: About The South Carolina League of the South ( Memento June 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) , accessed November 18, 2013.
  17. ↑ League of the South:The South Carolina Patriot Vol. XII Issue IV Aug. 2010 ( Memento from July 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 829 kB) p. 4, accessed on November 18, 2013.
  18. ↑ League of the South:The South Carolina Patriot Vol. IX Issue 3 Summer 2006 ( Memento from August 6, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 3.5 MB) , p. 22, accessed on November 18, 2013.
  19. ↑ League of the South:Calling All Red Shirts to the Burning of Columbia Vol. IX Issue 4 Autumn 2006 ( Memento from July 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 2.5 MB) p. 14, accessed on November 18, 2013.
  20. ↑ League of the South: South Carolina Red Shirts ( Memento from November 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 74 kB) , accessed on November 18, 2013.