Essay talking about the motivations of the 'Redeemers' in Reconstruction Era America. Focuses on Grant's presidency, and economic and cultural potential motivators. Graded by a teacher and awarded 22/25 (the equivalent of an A star).
'The redeemers' were motivated by the desire to remove
corruption from politics in the south, in the years 1868 -
1877.' Assess the validity of this view.
The ‘Redeemers’ were a group of white southerners consisting of
white supremacists and southern democrats, with the aim of
‘restoring' the south closer to its Antebellum days in order to
maintain white supremacy and limit the advancements of African –
Americans. Although Grant’s presidency and cabinet were
notoriously corrupt, due to the racist attitudes and discriminatory
actions of the 'redeemers', it is hard to argue that this desire to
remove corruption from politics was a significant motivation in itself.
Despite the political mask of wanting to reduce corruption, when the
Democrats eventually took over a number of states, corruption
stayed highly prevalent. It is clear that their true motivations for
removing the Republican party was their white supremacist
mindsets and a fear of progress in the advancement of black rights.
Whilst it was not their main motivation, it cannot be argued that
there wasn't significant corruption within the Republican
government. Although not necessarily Grant’s fault, his lack of
experience led to major presidential political scandals, such as the
Whisky Ring scandal of the 1870s, which contributed in marring
Grant’s presidency. Bribery, especially by railroad companies, was
commonplace and ruling Republicans used their powers of
patronage to benefit their own supporters. The Freedmen’s Bureau
(1865) was also seen as being corrupt and encouraging o
dependency culture by giving out too much welfare help. The
Republicans were blamed for the economic depression of 1873, with
Democrats aiming to reduce state debts and politicians' salaries by
cutting down on public services. Many Southerners also feared
military control as they couldn’t vote due to Confederate ties and
military reconstruction, feeling that their Southern culture was being
suppressed and threatened. However, it could be argued that this
shouldn’t have been a real fear, as the majority of Republicans were
aiming for reconciliation and peace, as shown through the 1872
Amnesty Act, where 150,000 ex-confederates had their rights
returned. Although there was certainly corruption at this time which
could be the motive of Redeemers, there has never been a time
where the government has not been corrupt in some way, hence
suggesting that ‘corruption' is just a more creditable argument than
their true motive: white supremacy attitudes.
The redeemers continuously proved to be highly corrupt themselves,
which suggests it wasn’t that important to be honest. Paramilitary
groups like the Red Shirts, White League, and the KKK practised
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