In 1867 a coalition of Democrats and Old Whigs formed the Virginia Conservative Party. This party would quickly become the voice of propertied white Virginians. Over time it won the support of most whites in the state. The party eventually came apart over the Readjustment controversy.
The party’s founding principles were widely reprinted in the Virginia newspapers. The first principle accepted that slavery was ended, hardly a bold step since the 13th Amendment had been ratified two years earlier. The second principle is the demand that Virginia be restored to its pre-war structure of self-government without Federal interference in favor of Civil Rights. The third principle says pretty much the same.
The fourth principle claims that the white people of the South are the victims of “Negro supremacy” which is abhorrent to the civilization of mankind.” The fifth principle is that the state was created by white men to be controlled by white men. The sixth is that the Conservatives will work with others around the nation to insure the supremacy of the white race.
Source:
Richmond Whig
Friday, Dec 13, 1867
Richmond, VA
Vol: 46
Issue: 99
Page: 2
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