The Underlying Methods Of Paramilitary Operations Used By...

This historical study will define the underlying methods of paramilitary operations used by white Redeemers through the political platform of the Bourbon Democrats in the reconstitution of white rule in the South. Paramilitary groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan and the Red Shirts of Mississippi, define the terrorist methods of removing carpetbaggers and freedmen from positions of political power. The dissolution of Reconstructionist methods of federal dominance over the South was eroded with the removal of Federalist troops and Republicans from Southern state, which were â€Å"redeemed† by racially divisive Redeemers. These violent/terrorist methods were part of the gradual increase in power by Redeemers throughout the 1870s, 1880s, and into the 1890s. Secretive attacks on freedmen, carpetbaggers, and other Republicans were an effective way in which to discourage the Reconstruction reforms through the federal government. In essence, the violent methods of paramilitary operations by white Redeemers were the primary method of reconstituting Democratic power in the South in the post-Civil War era. During the reconstruction era, the use of paramilitary operations by white Redeemers was an important tool in removing freedmen, carpetbaggers, and members of the Republican Party that held positions of power in local government. These white racist organizations were part of the terrorist activities using violence and intimidation to discourage northerners and black freedmen from