No Southern newspaper did more to encourage secession in 1860 than the Charleston Mercury. After the war, it became a fiery opponent of Reconstruction and a defender of the control of Southern society by “the White race.” Several editorials were published during Reconstruction titled “The Course of the South” which sketched out a Southern white strategy to restore white control over the region.
The article argues that black equality can only be maintained through the intervention of the Federal government.
Charleston Mercury
Thursday, Nov 05, 1868
Charleston, SC
Page: 2
Note: The term “Scalawag” was a derogatory term for Southern whites who joined the Republican party. It was sometimes also applied to blacks. “Carpetbagger” is a negative term for anyone who came to the South from the North after the Civil War.
Follow Reconstruction Blog on Social Media:
