ABOUT THE BOOK

State of Rebellion: Reconstruction in South Carolina recounts the volatile course of Reconstruction in the state that experienced the longest, largest, and most dynamic federal presence in the years immediately following the Civil War. Richard Zuczek examines the opposition of conservative white South Carolinians to the Republican-led program and the federal and state governments' attempts to quell such resistance. Contending that the issues that had driven secession—the relationship of the states to the federal government and the status of African Americans—remained unresolved even after Northern victory, Zuczek describes the period of 1865–1877 as a continuation of the struggle that began in 1861. He argues that Republican efforts failed primarily because of an organized, coherent effort by white Southerners committed to white supremacy.

Zuczek details the tactics—from judicial and political fraud to economic coercion, terrorism, and guerrilla activity—employed by conservatives to nullify the African American vote, control African American labor, and oust northern Republicans from the state. He documents the federal government's attempt to quash the conservative challenge but shows that, by 1876, white opposition was so unified, widespread, and well-armed that it passed beyond government control.

While Zuczek focuses specifically on South Carolina, he addresses the general failure of Reconstruction, the role of the federal government in state affairs, and the ethnic dilemma facing the postwar nation. In addition, he sheds light on southern society's penchant for vigilantism, constitutional and societal conservatism, and Machiavellian militancy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard Zuczek is assistant editor of The Papers of Andrew Johnson at the University of Tennessee, where he also teaches courses on American and Western Civilization.