Ben Tillman and the Reconstruction of White Supremacy

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, State & Local, 19th Century, Biography & Memoir, Political
Cover of the book Ben Tillman and the Reconstruction of White Supremacy by Stephen Kantrowitz, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Stephen Kantrowitz ISBN: 9781469625553
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: January 1, 2015
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Stephen Kantrowitz
ISBN: 9781469625553
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: January 1, 2015
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

Through the life of Benjamin Ryan Tillman (1847-1918), South Carolina's self-styled agrarian rebel, this book traces the history of white male supremacy and its discontents from the era of plantation slavery to the age of Jim Crow.

As an anti-Reconstruction guerrilla, Democratic activist, South Carolina governor, and U.S. senator, Tillman offered a vision of reform that was proudly white supremacist. In the name of white male militance, productivity, and solidarity, he justified lynching and disfranchised most of his state's black voters. His arguments and accomplishments rested on the premise that only productive and virtuous white men should govern and that federal power could never be trusted. Over the course of his career, Tillman faced down opponents ranging from agrarian radicals to aristocratic conservatives, from woman suffragists to black Republicans. His vision and his voice shaped the understandings of millions and helped create the violent, repressive world of the Jim Crow South.

Friend and foe alike--and generations of historians--interpreted Tillman's physical and rhetorical violence in defense of white supremacy as a matter of racial and gender instinct. This book instead reveals that Tillman's white supremacy was a political program and social argument whose legacies continue to shape American life.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Through the life of Benjamin Ryan Tillman (1847-1918), South Carolina's self-styled agrarian rebel, this book traces the history of white male supremacy and its discontents from the era of plantation slavery to the age of Jim Crow.

As an anti-Reconstruction guerrilla, Democratic activist, South Carolina governor, and U.S. senator, Tillman offered a vision of reform that was proudly white supremacist. In the name of white male militance, productivity, and solidarity, he justified lynching and disfranchised most of his state's black voters. His arguments and accomplishments rested on the premise that only productive and virtuous white men should govern and that federal power could never be trusted. Over the course of his career, Tillman faced down opponents ranging from agrarian radicals to aristocratic conservatives, from woman suffragists to black Republicans. His vision and his voice shaped the understandings of millions and helped create the violent, repressive world of the Jim Crow South.

Friend and foe alike--and generations of historians--interpreted Tillman's physical and rhetorical violence in defense of white supremacy as a matter of racial and gender instinct. This book instead reveals that Tillman's white supremacy was a political program and social argument whose legacies continue to shape American life.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book Citizens in Arms by Stephen Kantrowitz
Cover of the book A Deplorable Scarcity by Stephen Kantrowitz
Cover of the book America's Culture of Terrorism by Stephen Kantrowitz
Cover of the book Solidarity Blues by Stephen Kantrowitz
Cover of the book What Is a Madrasa? by Stephen Kantrowitz
Cover of the book Environmental Policy Under Reagan's Executive Order by Stephen Kantrowitz
Cover of the book Fighting Bob La Follette by Stephen Kantrowitz
Cover of the book Back Channel to Cuba by Stephen Kantrowitz
Cover of the book To Die in Cuba by Stephen Kantrowitz
Cover of the book Gendered Spaces by Stephen Kantrowitz
Cover of the book Staging Depth by Stephen Kantrowitz
Cover of the book Gospel of Disunion by Stephen Kantrowitz
Cover of the book The Religious Investigations of William James by Stephen Kantrowitz
Cover of the book Gettysburg--Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill by Stephen Kantrowitz
Cover of the book Women at War in the Borderlands of the Early American Northeast by Stephen Kantrowitz
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy