Slavery by Another Name by Douglas A. Blackmon

Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This segment of US History was an eye opener for me. Even though I was aware that after the Civil War and Reconstruction that African-Americans were subjugated to further disenfranchisement and racial discrimination. Also you'll learn a new word here too: peonage. Peonage is the servitude of someone in debt to someone else. In essence it was,as book title implies, slavery by another name.
How it ended up working was that a local official like a sheriff or constable would round up African-American's, usually male, and charge them with some vague charge. A Justice of the Peace or judge would hand them a fine which would also include,court fees,arrest fee, food and so on. The ultimate fine was usually out of the financial ability of those charged. So a system evolved that employers would pay the fines for the convicted and they would work of there debt for certain time period. They worked on mines, factories, lumber mills and cotton fields. As you can imagine this system was abused as the accused were often bought sold and traded between employers and business owners. Those held were often abused and killed with little thought by the overseers. This was still going on until the 1940's when the Federal Government finally cracked down on these abuses that went on primarily in the former Confederate states fearing that the Germans and Japanese would use this issue as propaganda.

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White Terror: The Ku Klux Klan Conspiracy and Southern Reconstruction by Allen W. Trelease

White Terror: The Ku Klux Klan Conspiracy and Southern Reconstruction by Allen W. Trelease
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was comprehensive look at the activities of the Klu Klux Klan right after the Civil War ended. It was born in Tennessee and spread throughout the south states. They heavily opposed Reconstruction programs of the time. They didn't have a single overall organization but were many groups obviously inspired by the original group. The midnight riders would use a policy of beatings, whippings, rape, arson, shootings and lynching. Their two main targets were recently freed slaves and Republicans. It became such an issue that Congress eventually took action in 1871. After lengthy investigations they were able to make prosecutions and convictions but were relatively small in comparison to the actual number terrorist-like activities that went on. Even so it did slow down curtail the vast majority of activities. By the time Reconstruction ended in the 1877 and the advent of the Jim Crow era of the south the need for the group dropped drastically. The KKK did have revivals first inspired by the film "Birth of a Nation" in the 1920's and then during the segregation/Civil Rights battles of the 1950's and 1960's. This is an excellent reference for those looking into the birth of the Klu Klux Klan Reconstruction period. I think this is an often overlooked element during this time period in American History.

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