Reading Suggestions about Party Politics during the Reconstruction Era

One of the findings from the Library's strategic plan survey responses was that customers wanted staff to offer more book recommendations. Though I admit that most likely those customers wanted book recommendations about the latest fiction and their read-alikes, I am going to interpret that finding to include requests for more recommendations about local history nonfiction, particularly when we have some good titles to suggest to you as supplemental reading related to the BDC's  local history program presentations. 

National Park Service Historian Ranger Eric Ellis gave a great talk about the political divisions of the Beaufort Republican party last week. As he noted, the Republican Party was in control during most of the Reconstruction Period until it split into various factions. In 1874 Democrats changed their election tactics, disrupting Republican political rallies and cutting political deals with Republican splinter groups to secure local and state offices. 

Here are a few recommended books from the BDC or SCLENDS consortium about the rough and tumble, oftentimes violent - but fascinating - political history of South Carolina's Reconstruction Era and its impact on and at the national level : 

Black Over White : Negro Political Leadership in South Carolina during Reconstruction by Thomas Holt. Urbana : University of Illinois Press, 1977. 

The Southern Historical Association awarded this book its 1978 Charles S. Syndor Prize as recognition of Holt's scholarship combining quantitative analysis with narrative history to challenge myths about the power and political effectiveness of Reconstruction-era Black politicians in the Palmetto State. 

The Bloody South Carolina Election of 1876 : Wade Hampton III, the Red Shirt Campaign for Governor and the End of Reconstruction by Jerry L. West. Jefferson, NC : McFarland, 2011. 

Contentious political campaigns are nothing new. This book examines the gubernatorial election of 1876, in which the state's most celebrated Civil War general created a united front in the Democratic Party and wrested control of politics from the Republicans. Of particular note are the ways in which the race, with its disqualified ballots, delays and wrangling, prefigured some elections in the 2000s. For four months, the state endured two warring Houses of Representatives. Two Black Beaufort County men, Thomas Hamilton and N.B. Myers crossed the aisle to join the Wallace House in support of Hampton to secure his governorship. 

Gullah Statesman : Robert Smalls from Slavery to Congress, 1839 - 1915 by Edward A. Miller, Jr. Columbia : University of South Carolina Press, 1995. Available in print and as an e-book on Hoopla. 

A native of Beaufort, South Carolina, Robert Smalls was born into slavery but through acts of remarkable courage and determination became the first African American hero of the Civil War and one of the most influential African American politicians in South Carolina history. I consider this one of the most important secondary works about Smalls. It is a political biography of his triumphs and setbacks of the celebrated U.S. congressman and advocate of compulsory, desegregated public education. 

Hampton and His Red Shirts : The Story of South Carolina's Deliverance in 1876 by Alfred B. Williams. Charleston, SC : Walker, Evans and Cogswell Company, 1935. 

The author was a newspaper man who argued that the "carpetbagger" government that ruled South Carolina from 1868 until it was overthrown in 1876 was corrupt and caused more destruction than the four years of the Civil War. More recent scholarship has challenged Williams' views. Hathitrust provides a digital copy online. 

Hurrah for Hampton! : Black Red Shirts in South Carolina during Reconstruction by Edmund L. Drago. Fayetteville : University of Arkansas Press, 1998. 

Drago takes a more balanced view of the Reconstruction Era to examine the motives and concerns of the former enslaved who supported a movement that eventually led to the return of white supremacy in the Palmetto State. Though most of the freedmen identified and supported the Republican party, Drago focused on the primary source testimonies before Congress of seven Black conservatives who joined the white paramilitary clubs termed the "Red Shirts" who supported the election of former Confederate general Wade Hampton in the governor's race in 1876. He also includes analysis of eleven slave narratives to explore the relationship between Black initiative and southern paternalism. 

Rebellion, Reconstruction, and Redemption, 1861 - 1893 by Stephen R. Wise and Lawrence S. Rowland. Columbia : University of South Carolina Press, 2015.    

I consider the three volumes series on the history of Beaufort County by Lawrence S. Rowland and others as "The Bible of Local History."  Volume 2 explores how the Union victory and the political and social Reconstruction of South Carolina was followed by a counterrevolution called Redemption, the organized campaign of Southern whites, defeated in the war, to regain supremacy over African Americans. While former slave-owning, anti-black "Redeemers" took control of mainland Beaufort County, they were thwarted on the Sea Islands, where African Americans retained power and kept reaction at bay. By 1893, elements of both the New and Old South coexisted uneasily side by side as the Democratic mainland reverted to an agricultural-based economy while the Republican Sea Islands and the town of Beaufort underwent an economic boom based on the phosphate mining industry and the new commercial port in the Lowcountry town of Port Royal.

Requiem for Reconstruction : Black Countermemory and the Legacy of The Lowcountry's Lost Political Generation by Robert D. Bland. Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, 2026.  

Bland "explores how Black Americans born in the thirty years between 1840 and 1870 saw Reconstruction as a defining political movement and worked to preserve its legacy by formulating new archives, shaping local community counternarratives, and using the Black press to preserve and circulate Reconstruction's meaning to a national audience." 

South Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction Eras : Essays from the Proceeding of the South Carolina Historical Association edited by Michael Brem Bonner and Fritz P. Hamer. Columbia : University of South Carolina Press, 2016. 

This is an anthology of twenty-three of the most enduring and important scholarly articles about the Civil War and Reconstruction era published in the peer-reviewed journal since 1931. The volume is divided by topic into five subsections: "The Politics of Secession and Civil War"; "On the Battlefront"; "On the Home Front."; "Emancipation, Race, and Society"; and "The Politics of Reconstruction." 

State of Rebellion : Reconstruction in South Carolina by Richard Zuczek. Columbia : University of South Carolina Press, 2009. Also available as an e-book on Hoopla.

The author recounts the volatile course of Reconstruction in the state that experienced the longest, largest, and most dynamic federal presence in the years immediately following the Civil War in this book.  He details the tactics - from judicial and political fraud to economic coercion, terrorism, and guerrilla activity - employed by conservatives to nullify the African American vote, control African American labor, and oust northern Republicans from the state. He documents the federal government's attempt to quash the conservative challenge but shows that, by 1876, white opposition was so unified, widespread, and well-armed that it passed beyond government control. 

To Rescue the Republic : Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union and the Crisis of 1876 by Bret Baier. New York : Custom House, 2021.

Fox News Channel's Chief Political Anchor provides a history of Grant's essential yet underappreciated role in preserving the United States during a period of great political division. The book is available in print, large print, and audio CD through SCLENDS as well as on Hoopla as an audio book and as an e-book.  

If you happen to be more of a watcher than a reader, then I suggest that you take a look at "The Rise and Fall of Reconstruction in South Carolina" with Dr. Brent Morris, a COVID-era recording we made when all was shut down five years ago. The information Dr. Morris provides is very helpful to understanding what happened in the Palmetto State between approximately 1865 and 1880. If you want to skip the introduction and get straight to his lecture, begin around the 5-minute mark. 

Reminder: All units of the Beaufort County Library will be closed Monday, May 25 in honor of Memorial Day.

Miller Featured in the SC African-American 2022 Calendar for October

Latest update: 7 May 2026 - gmc 

Since 1989, the South Carolina African American History Calendar has highlighted the contributions of distinguished Black citizens who have connections to the Palmetto State. The October 2022 honoree is Beaufort District's own Thomas Ezekial Miller. 

The text from the October 2022 calendar says: 

"Thomas Ezekiel Miller was born June 17, 1849, in Ferrebeeville, S.C. near present-day Ridgeland. He was raised by Richard and Mary Ferrebee Miller, both freed slaves. Due to his fair skin, there was much speculation about his biological father. [Indeed in the press, he was often referred to as the "Yellow Canary."] 

In 1851, Miller moved to Charleston with his family where he attended illegal schools for free Black children. Miller attended Lincoln University in Chester County, Pa. and upon graduation in 1872, he returned to South Carolina where he became school commissioner of Beaufort County. Later he studied law at the recently integrated University of South Carolina before returning to Beaufort to set up his practice. 

Miller was elected to the S.C. General Assembly where he served until 1880 when he went to the state Senate. Miller returned to the S.C. House of Representatives in 1877 and served on the Republican State Executive Committee from 1878 to 1880 and was state party chairman in 1884. In 1890, Miller served in the U.S. House of Representatives in the seat formerly occupied by Black Representative and Civil War hero Robert Smalls, although he only served for a few months due to election fraud, which many registered Black voters were prohibited from casting their ballots resulting in his opponent, incumbent William Elliott being initially declared the winner. 

After his time in Congress, Miller remained active in politics, serving as a member of the 1895 Constitutional Convention. He helped establish South Carolina State University in 1896 and served as their first president until 1911. Miller was married to Anna Hume and had nine children. He passed away in 1938 in Charleston, S.C." 

Miller faced a lot of scorn in the local press. The Palmetto Post published a derisive "We'uns Canary" article on June 9, 1892 on page 2: 

Tom Miller is reported as being in Minneapolis, whooping up Harrison and "hustling" generally. If Miller should accidentally get lost so far away from home - but the thought is too harrowing -- Columbia State.

So far as the people of his own county are concerned, the loss of Miller, and a half dozen others of his kidney, would be looked upon as a great gain through the mercy of Providence. 

His tombstone in the Brotherly Association Cemetery in Charleston is inscribed: “I served God and all the people, loving the white man not less, but the Negro needed me most.”

An earlier Connections blog post includes links to additional biographical and political information about this important Beaufort District historical figure. 

Freedmen's Bureau Records are now on Ancestry Library Edition

Summary:  Ancestry Library Edition (ALE) now includes digitized "Freedmen's Bureau" records held by the National Archives. This is a very big deal for anyone interested in African-American family history.  

COVID-19 mitigation caused a lot of re-evaluation of service delivery. Before the shutdown, ALE could only be used inside our Library buildings on the Library's computers. Because of COVID-19, Proquest has allowed public libraries to provide home access to Ancestry Library Edition for our library card holders. All we know for sure is that ALE will continue to be accessible from our library cardholder's home until the end of 2021. We do not know if it will continue beyond New Year's Eve, 2021. We hope that it does, but that decision is left up to the vendor, ProQuest. In other words, don't delay too long before getting started. 

I emphasize that access to ALE is available for "Beaufort County Library cardholders." All you need is a valid Beaufort County Library card and the password to access the Ancestry Library Edition database for free. If you had a Beaufort County Library card some time ago but haven't used it  in the past two years, you will likely have to get a new library card. You can sign up for a temporary Beaufort County Library card online, get the ALE password from staff at your favorite Branch Library, and start searching. But please take the time to read the introductory information first. 

Genealogical research isn't as easy as the family history television shows make it out to be. If you watch and think about it, Professor Gates cherry-picks which of the celebrity's ancestors he highlights. The whole point is to provide engaging drama for public consumption. That's not how genealogical research is done. Each person on every branch needs to be researched before the most interesting stories emerge. If you're willing to take some advice from me: It would be in your best interest to take 10 to 15 minutes to absorb how the records are arranged and research tips provided before you plug in your ancestors' name. Doing so will without a doubt in my mind, be more efficient and ultimately more likely to lead to success. 

The following information comes directly from the Ancestry Library Edition website's landing page about the recently released "Freedmen's Bureau Records" as held by the United States National Archives and reproduced by NARA on microfilm. -gmc

This collection contains records from the Freedmen’s Bureau between 1865 and 1878. This collection offers a wealth of information. Because enslaved people didn’t have legal rights prior to 1865, it can be difficult to track them through censuses or birth, marriage, and death records. For many African Americans, records from the Freedmen’s Bureau may be the first time their ancestor’s name appears outside of inventory lists included in wills and probate records. Records from this collection may provide vital information, such as age or birthplace, in addition to a number of unique details such as military service and school attendance.

Included within this database are:

Employment registers

Employment contracts

Hospital records

Pension records

Bounties

Ration lists

Court documents

School records

Tax assessments

Freedman’s bank records

Records from this time period are unstandardized. The collection contains records from the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Using this Collection

The registry may include the following information:

Name

Sex

Age

Race

Residence

Occupation

Names of family members

Names of fomer enslavers or plantations

Names of employers

Because there are many different types of records in this collection, individuals may be found in multiple records. For example, a teenager may be listed on school records, in an employment record upon gaining an apprenticeship, and then in a bank record if they opened a bank account.

When searching the Freedmen’s Bureau records, there are a few things to consider to aid your search. First, try and trace your history back to the 1870 census. Having traceable records close to the date of the Freedmen’s Bureau records will help you ensure you’ve found the right person. If you’re unsure where to begin, Ancestry’s African American Research guide can help you get started: https://www.ancestrycdn.com/mars/landing/africanamerican/africanamerican_guide_2015.pdf

Consider the status of your family members. If they were enslaved, when were they emancipated? For many, freedom didn’t come until two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. If you aren’t sure, there are a few clues to look for. If a mother was legally freed, any children born afterwards would also be free.

Names are also a useful place to look. A common misconception is that enslaved people didn’t have last names prior to emancipation. Though many enslaved people adopted (or were assigned) the name of their former enslaver or plantation, some did in fact have their own last names passed down from a parent—though they typically weren’t acknowledged by their enslaver and aren’t noted in records from before emancipation. It wasn’t uncommon for people to revert to their family surname or choose a new one to distance themselves from their former enslaver.

In the aftermath of the war, many Black people migrated to different parts of the country. This can make tracing your ancestors difficult. If you can, talk to family members to get an idea of where your ancestors may have traveled to. It’s a good practice to also check bordering states, especially if your ancestors may have lived near the juncture of multiple states. Records from West Virginia will be listed under Virginia, because West Virginia didn’t become a state until 1863.

Collection in Context

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, commonly known as the Freedmen’s Bureau, was established in 1865 as a means to provide aid to newly emancipated people transitioning from slavery to freedom. It supported more than 4 million people, which included some impoverished white people and veterans of the U.S. Colored Troops.

Aid was provided on a large scope; everything needed to reconstruct a new economy was included. Perhaps the most well-known legacy of the Freedmen’s Bureau was the founding of Freedmen’s Schools, which provided a free education to many formerly enslaved people; however, the Freedmen’s Bureau also offered employment, banks, hospitals, and rations to those in need. Transportation to work sites was even available. Congress voted to extend the Freedmen's Bureau twice, in 1865 and 1866; however the Freedmen’s Bureau ended abruptly in 1872.

Bibliography

Everly, Elaine C. “Marriage Registers of Freedmen.” Genealogy Notes. Published Fall 1973. https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1973/fall/freedmens-marriage-registers.html

Facinghistory.org. “Changing Names.” Last Modified 2020. https://www.facinghistory.org/reconstruction-era/changing-names

History.com “Freedmen’s Bureau.” Last Modified October 3, 2018. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedmens-bureau

National Archives. “African American Records: Freedmen’s Bureau.” Last Modified June 4, 2021. https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/freedmens-bureau

PBS.org. “Schools and Education During Reconstruction.” Last Modified 2021. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/reconstruction-schools-and-education-during-reconstruction/

Reclaiming Kin. “The Complexity of Slave Surnames.” Last Modified March 14, 2017. https://reclaimingkin.com/the-complexity-of-slave-surnames/

To give you an idea of  just how big a project this was, the folks at Ancestry.com digitized records found in the following series at the National Archives to create the database. 

Selected Series of Records Issued by the Commissioner of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M742. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Registers and Letters Received by the Commissioner of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M752. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Georgia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869. Publication Number M798. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of Georgia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M799. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Education Division of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1871. Publication Number M803. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Alabama, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M809. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of Alabama, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M810. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Texas, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869. Publication Number M821. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of Texas, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M822. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Mississippi, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869. Publication Number M826. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of North Carolina, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M843. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of North Carolina, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M844. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of South Carolina, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M869. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Arkansas, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1871. Publication Number M979. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of Arkansas, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M980. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Tennessee, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869. Publication Number M999. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of Tennessee, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M1000. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of Louisiana, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1864-1869. Publication Number M1026. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Louisiana, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869. Publication Number M1027. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Virginia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869. Publication Number M1048. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of Virginia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M1053. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the District of Columbia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869. Publication Number M1055. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the District of Columbia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1056. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the New Orleans Field Offices, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869. Publication Number M1483. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner and Subordinate Field Offices for the State of Florida, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1869. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Alabama, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1900. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Arkansas, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1901. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the District of Columbia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M1902. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Georgia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1903. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Kentucky, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1904. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Louisiana, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1863-1872. Publication Number M1905. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the States of Maryland and Delaware, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1906. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Mississippi, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1907. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Missouri, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1908. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of North Carolina, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1909. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of South Carolina, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1910. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Tennessee, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1911. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Texas, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M1912. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Virginia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1913. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Mississippi Freedmen's Department ("Pre-Bureau Records"), Office of the Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1863-1865. Publication Number M1914. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices of the Freedmen's Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1872-1878. Publication Number M2029. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Selected Records of the Tennessee Field Office of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number T142. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Reconstruction Era in the BDC Display Case

Those who have watched Dr. Morris' talk about "The Birth and Death of Reconstruction in South Carolina, 1861 - 1877" may have noticed that the BDC Display Case is part of the Research Room-as-recording-studio's set. Since the display case is in the Research Room and since access to the Research Room has been limited due to COVID-19 concerns, I am going to tell you more about the items in the case and why I selected these particular items to represent the many holdings that the BDC has about the people and events related to the history of the Reconstruction Era. 

On the top shelf is the official National Park Service's handbook to the Reconstruction Era, an image often used as an illustration when Reconstruction is discussed, an archaeology-related book, and one of Dr. Morris' monographs. 

I like the description given in the Library's catalog for the National Park Service's handbook: "The Reconstruction Era (1865-1877) is one of the most complicated, poorly understood, and yet most significant periods in American history. The federal government faced the enormous question of how to usher the states of the former Confederacy back into the United States of America. It was a pivotal period in Southern history in which four million African Americans, newly freed from bondage, sought to establish schools and communities and in which white Southerners faced the challenge of both wartime defeat and slavery's abolition."

Continuing on "Reconstruction's big questions--about democracy, race, war, and religion--give it lasting resonance in our own time. This book contains insightful essays written by noted scholars and historians." 

Because it sets up the theme of the display case so well, The Reconstruction Era is on the top shelf in the far left position. It helps that the cover catches one's attention. The handbook was posted online and free to access when the National Monument was first established, so I only acquired a printed copy for the permanent collection, i.e., the BDC. Looks like now that the online title has been removed, I shall have to consider purchasing copies for the Local History sections that can be checked out by Library customers.

The illustration pinned to the back wall above the first shelf of the display case has become something of a logo for the Reconstruction Era. The sketch was made by Alfred R. Waud for the Harper's Weekly newspaper July 25, 1868 issue that included an article about the Freedmen's Bureau. The tension between the white planters on the left side and the formerly enslaved Black people on the right side is palpable. In between the two hostile groups stalwartly stands a Freedmen's Bureau agent, representing the authority of the United States government. The Freedmen's Bureau was established in 1865 after Gen. W.T. Sherman issued Field Order No. 15 and became a foundation of the Reconstruction Era. The Library of Congress has a digital version of the original newspaper and allows anyone to download the image at no cost.  Our original sheet of the image is cataloged as SC PRINT 66.

Materiality of Freedom covers both the Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras from the archaeological perspective of 22 scholars: "What can the objects uncovered during investigations on African-American sites tell us about the struggles for racial equality?" As it turns out, quite a lot. The BDC has the only copy of this title within the SCLENDS consortium so one would have to make a research appointment (843-255-6468 or bdc@bcgov.net) to enjoy this book. 

For display purposes, the visual presentation of the materials are a serious consideration. Among the many book credits of Dr. Morris is Yes, Lord, I Know the Road that covers almost 500 years' worth of African-American documentary history in the Palmetto State.  In this case, highlighting at least one of the presenter's many qualifications to speak as an authority on the topic of the day is bolstered by the graphics of the photograph chosen for the cover.  

Shelf 2 gets all sorts of "help" trying to capture the viewer's interest because I needed to include the ground-breaking but bland covered Reconstruction Era in Beaufort County Local Initiative for National Designation. I maintain that the movement to get Beaufort County named as the best place for the study and appreciation of the significance of the Reconstruction Era began with Dr. Page Putnam Miller's History 712 class and the Sea Islands Reconstruction Heritage Partnership's public forum funded in part by a SC Humanities Council grant at the University of South Carolina Beaufort in 2003. Dr. Miller's class and the USCB Forum occurred fourteen years before the declaration by President Obama of the Reconstruction Era National Monument in 2017. The red-white-and blue scarf is meant to draw the eye and enhance a microfilm box (boring) and complement the covers of the other two books on the shelf. 

On the back wall of shelf two is a printout of the landing page for the digital version of the New South newspaper (which we have on microfilm) and a sample front page of the Beaufort Republican, a weekly African-American newspaper published in the early 1870s. We have the microfilm and will keep the microfilm even though the Library of Congress includes this particular newspaper in its Chronicling America website. If you're interested in knowing about the local newspapers that we have on microfilm or that are online in whole or in part, contact us at 843-255-6468 or bdc@bcgov.net. I will be happy to provide you with details and links (when available).

South Carolina Scalawags concentrates on the 15% of white South Carolina residents who self-identified as Republicans during the Reconstruction Era. Historian Hyman Rubin III explores who they were, and their aspirations, disappointments, failings and successes during their time at the helm running the state's government from 1868 to 1876.  There are plenty of copies within the SCLENDS consortium for you to borrow. 

Capitol Men leads off with a chapter about Beaufort's own Robert Smalls. The goal of this short-listed Pulitzer Prize in History book by Philip Dray was to view Reconstruction from the perspective of the first Black Congressmen. And he does. There are plenty of copies in the local history sections at the Branch Libraries for you to borrow. 

Looking at the image I took of the whole case and of shelf 3 in particular, I think that I should have switched the location of Robert Smalls' quote and the microfilm boxes for better flow from shelf 2 to shelf 3.

Shelf 3 highlights Robert Smalls' critical role in fostering Reconstruction and his attempts to ameliorate the Redemptionists. Schooling the Freed People book and the three reels of Penn School Papers microfilm indicate his deep interest in education for all children. The Library has lots of copies of the 2005 documentary fim by Adrena Ifill and Sean Patrick Thomas about Congressman Robert Smalls : A Patriot's Journey from Slavery to Capitol Hill to share.

My race needs no special defense, for the past history of them in this country proves them to be the equal of any people anywhere. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life.  -- Robert Smalls, November 1, 1895

After attending the "Reimagining Access : Inclusive Technology for Archives & Special Collections" webinar last night, I now know that I should have angled the quote with a support for easier reading too. 

I included the Great South Carolina Ku Klux Klan Trials, 1871-1873 by Lou Faulkner Williams as a solid contribution to the history and understanding of the Reconstruction Era in this state. Although the trials were held upstate for crimes committed upstate, the outcome reverberated throughout the lowcountry as the Fourth Federal Circuit Court became a forum for constitutional interpretation of the 14th Amendment and the Enforcement Acts. 

My other option to represent the KKK was the trial transcript. Unfortunately, the book cover offers very little visual appeal in a display case. The book cover is a dull brown with a title only on the book spine.The BDC holds the only printed copy of the Proceedings in the Ku Klux Trials at Columbia, S.C., in the United States Circuit Court, November term, 1871.  If you like to read trial proceedings, then by all means contact the BDC to set up an appointment.  

I try to put the fewest number of items on the bottom shelf since one has to lean down to "see" them. Disputes over the conduct and outcomes of elections seemed particularly timely in the last quarter of 2020 and early 2021 and we have some documents in the BDC  that address that topic during the Reconstruction Era. I chose to make surrogates of the first pages of two documents placed on red backgrounds on shelf 4 for that reason. The documents shown relate to disputes over the congressional election results in Beaufort County between Robert Smalls and William Elliott for the 50th Congress, 2nd Session and the Arrest and Imprisonment of Robert Smalls on debatable grounds a decade earlier. The BDC is the only SCLENDS library that holds copies of these congressional documents. 

The blue banner on the surrogates is the URL to the BDCBCL: Links, Lists, and Finding Aids blog on WordPress.There are at the time of this writing more than 20 lists and finding aids related to the Reconstruction Era on that blog. I will send you the list and active links to the people, places and events related to the Reconstruction Era as it unfolded here if you just ask bdc@bcgov.net or 843-255-6468. 

Last but not least is a copy of Forever Free : The Story of Emancipation and Reconstruction by the dean of Reconstruction studies, DeWitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University, Eric Foner. As the New York Times Review of Books wrote: "Foner traces the lines of race and politics that run from Reconstruction to the age of segregation to the civil rights movement to our own time.” The SCLENDS consortium has plenty of copies of this to share. 

Even if you choose not to come to make an appointment to review these items inside the Research Room, we do hope that you take one or more of the following actions to expand your awareness and understanding of this critical era of American history. 

1. Watch Dr. Morris' lecture brought to you by the BDC and the Beaufort County Historical Society before we take it down from the Library's YouTube Channel on February 25, 2021.

2. Borrow some of the items that one can check out from the Beaufort County Library or SCLENDS consortium.

3. Read a Hoopla Reconstruction Era related title as an e-book or audio-book.

4. Explore the BDC's WordPress blog for additional online information about how Reconstruction played out in this local area.

5. Explore other Reconstruction related posts in this Connections blog.

6. Visit the St. Helena Branch Library's Reconstruction Era reference collection to learn more about this critical era of American history. 

7. Walk by the National Park Service's headquarters next door to the Beaufort Branch Library and read the markers on that property.   

8. Explore the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park's website.

Now Showing ... "Historically Speaking" Virtual Lecture 2.2: Morris about Reconstruction in SC

We were so pleased by how many people watched our pilot virtual local history program that the Beaufort County Historical Society and the BDC decided to give it another go. 

Historically Speaking 2.2 presents Dr. J. Brent Morris on the topic of the tumultuous times in the Palmetto State from the earliest days of the Civil War up to the Presidential election of 1876. As you may recall from your American history classes,  Republican Rutherford B. Hayes vied for the position against Democratic nominee Samuel J. Tilden. Hayes won (after some shenanigans) and proceeded to dismantle Reconstruction in the former Confederate states. 

Perhaps no other period of American history is reverberating stronger right now than the Reconstruction Era. Political divisiveness, disputes over who can vote and election results, and socio-economic disruptions caused great uncertainties then as now. It is a fascinating and little appreciated period of American history that deserves far more attention than it has traditionally received from the general public. And we are blessed to have one of Beaufort's own share his deep and vast knowledge of the period with us. Quite frankly, the BDC and BCHS would be hard pressed to find a better scholar to provide an overview of this critical period than Dr. Morris. He is one of the nation's foremost scholars on the topic. 

He teaches, writes, and lectures on the histories of slavery and antislavery in America. He is Professor of History and Humanities Department Chair at the University of South Carolina Beaufort and Director of the USCB Institute for the Study of the Reconstruction Era. His book Oberlin, Hotbed of Abolitionism: College, Community, and the Fight for Freedom and Equality in Antebellum America was published in 2014, and won the Henry Howe Prize for outstanding historical monograph. He is also the author of Yes Lord I Know the Road: A Documentary History of African Americans in South Carolina, 1526-2008 (2017), A South Carolina Chronology (2020), and forthcoming books Dismal Freedom: A History of the Maroons of the Great Dismal Swamp, The Changing Palmetto State: A New History of South Carolina 1945-present (co-authored with Walter B. Edgar), and Reconstruction at 150: Reassessing the Revolutionary New Birth of Freedom (co-edited with Orville Vernon Burton). 

His work has also published in the New York Times, the American Historical Review, Civil War History, the Journal of Southern History, the Journal of African American History, Southern Studies, and the South Carolina Historical Magazine. Brent was the 2010 recipient of the South Carolina Historical Society's Malcolm C. Clark Award, was named 2016 University of South Carolina Breakthrough Star for Research and Scholarship (the most prestigious scholarly award for junior faculty in the USC system), 2016 American Alliance of Museums Gold MUSE award winner (Digital Communities), and the 2018 Award of the Order of the South, the highest award bestowed by the Southern Academy of Letters, Arts, and Sciences (previous awardees include Eudora Welty and James Dickey).

The lecture will remain on the Library's YouTube Channel at least through February 25, 2021. Please avail yourself to this educational, informative, and enlightening lecture about this significant period of American history and how it played out in the Palmetto State.

If your interest gets piqued, the Library has loads of additional materials on the topic for you to explore: the BDC guide to the period; several digital collections; and plenty of books to borrow.  Just ask us, we're happy to help you find more information. 

Please note: The Library system will be closed on Monday, February 15, 2021 in honor of Presidents Day