ProfessorDavidBlight:
Thelastbookyou'rereadinginthiscourseisbyagreatjournalist,NickLemann.It'scalledRedemption:
TheLastBattleoftheCivilWar.ThereseemstobeacontestrightnowinwritingaboutandpublishingabouttheviolenceofReconstruction.It'sreallybeendiscoveredbyAmericanpublishersandcertainlybyAmericanwriters.TherearenolessthanthreenewbooksoutoneithertheColfaxMassacre,whichwe'lltalkaboutinaminute,orwhatLemanndoesmostlyinhisbook,whichisthestoryofMississippi--sometimescalledtheShotgunPolicy,sometimescalledtheMississippiPlan--but,ineffect,acoupd'étatwherebythewhiteDemocratsofMississippitookbackcontrolofthatstate,largelybyterroristviolence,politicalviolence,in1875.Thetitlesofthesebooksstrikeme.Redemption:
TheLastBattleoftheCivilWar.CharlesLane'sbook,agoodjournalisticpopularwriter,awholebookontheColfaxMassacreentitledTheDayFreedomDied--oneday.Andthere'sanotherbookbyayoung,NewYorkprivatehighschoolteacher,proofthatgoodbookscanbewrittenbyanyone,TheColfaxMassacre:
TheUntoldStoryofBlackPower,WhiteTerrorandtheDeathofReconstruction.Nowallthosetitlesaretrue.It'snottheredemption,ofcourse,thatyouhearaboutinBobMarley'sRedemptionSong,butImightrecommendthatyouputMarleyonwhileyou'rereadingaboutthisstuff.Itmightbeaniceantidote.No,I'mnotgoingtosingit.
ButIamgoingtostartwithaverybrieflittlepoem,oneofthebestillustrationsinpoetryIknowof,ofthisideathatrevolutionscangobackward,thatrevolutionsusuallydogobackwards,forawhile,thatrevolutionsalwayscausecounter-revolutions.It'sapoembyLangstonHughes.Hewroteitrightneartheendofhislife,in1965--notethedate.Heentitledit"Emancipation,"andthenasubtitle:
"LongViewNegro."Twosimpleverses:
"Emancipation,1865,sightedthroughthetelescopeofdreams,loomslarger,somuchlarger,soitseems,thantruthcanbe.Butturnthetelescopearound,lookthroughthelargerend,andwonderwhy,whatwassolargebecomessosmallagain."Themetaphorispowerful,ifvexing.Lookthroughtheoppositeendofatelescope.Lookbackathistoryandnotforward,andwonderwhywhatwassuchadream,whatwassolarge,canbecomesosmallagain.
Now,whenthatFifteenthAmendmentpassed,thatItalkedaboutbrieflytheotherday,therewerejustamazingcelebrations,whenitwasfinallyratified,in1870,allovertheplace.I'llonlyciteacouple.GrantinhisMessagetoCongressineffectsaidReconstructionwasnowlargelyover.FrederickDouglass,thoughhewasn'tthrilledwiththefactthatitwasthemostconservativeversionoftheFifteenthAmendmentandsoon,neverthelesssaid,"Wecannowbreatheanewatmosphere;wehaveanewearthbeneathandanewskyabove."That'sadream.OneRepublicannewspapercalleditthenation'ssecondbirth;secondfounding.AndWendellPhillips,againtheMassachusettsabolitionist,saiditwasnowtherealbirthdayofthenationbecausenowtheDeclarationofIndependenceappliedtoall.Now,thatwasplacingagreatdealofhopeinasomewhatlimitedamendment,tosaytheleast.
That's1870.Nowgoaheadjustfiveyearswithme.ThisistheperiodnowofSouthernredemption,definedofcourseastheSouthernwhiteDemocraticParty'scounter-revolutionintakingbackcontrolofitsstategovernments.HappensveryquicklyinsomeSouthernstates.Someareredeemedasearlyas1870bytheDemocratsandthelastthreeorsonotuntil1876/77.Butthinkofwhatyoujustheardthere,thatalmostunfathomablehope,rootedinthisVotingRightsAmendment,andthenlistentothisstatementfromthefloorofCongressbyoneofthemostbrilliantyoungblackpoliticianswhogothimselfelected--amongthosehundredswhogotelected,amongthesixteenwhogotelectedtoCongress--JohnRoyLynch,aformerslave,self-taught,heeducatedhimself;likeFrederickDouglassthere'smysteriesaboutthebrillianceofthisguy.Buthe'selectedtoCongresswhenhe'stwenty-six,fromMississippi,underMississippi'sRadicalReconstructiongovernment,solongasitlasted.He'sstilltherein1875,andontheflooroftheCongress--whichwasthen,asyou'llseeinamoment,afterthe'74Election,nowruledbyamajorityofDemocrats--helooksthemintheeyeandhesays,"Thinkofitforamoment,mycolleagues.WhenIleavemyhomeinMississippitocometothecapitalofthenationtotakepartinthedeliberationsofthisHouse,andtoparticipatewithyouinmakinglawsforthegovernmentofthisgreatrepublic,Iamtreated,notasanAmericancitizen,butasabrute,forcedtooccupyafilthysmokingcar,bothnightandday,withdrunkards,gamblersandcriminals,andforwhat?
NotthatIamunableorunwillingtopaymyway,notthatIamobnoxiousinmypersonalappearanceordisrespectfulinmyconduct,butsimplybecauseIhappentobeofadarkercomplexion."Nowhere'stheironyandthepoint.ThemajorityofthosemenhewasspeakingtothatdayintheCongress,intheirminds,whentheyheardhim,totheextenttheylistenedwhenhesaidthat,Ithinkwecansafelyassumewerethinking,"yeah,that'sjustexactlythewayyoushouldbetreated."
Now,to1873forthemoment.Thedayfreedomdied,accordingtoCharlesLane'sbook,isthedayoftheColfaxMassacre.Thatday--Iwouldn'tquitesayfreedomdiedononeday,that'salittleahistorical,butsobeit;that'sprobablyapublisher'stitlemorethananauthor'stitle.ButApril14,1873isinsomewaysoneofthosedayswecouldcallinAmericanhistoryadayofinfamy.TheSupremeCourtthatday--atleastit'sthedateofthedecision,eventhoughitwasEasterSunday--handeddownitsdecision,fivetofour,intheSlaughterhouseCases,so-called,acollectionoffivecasesthatcameoutofLouisiana,whichwasthecourt'sfirstmajorrulingontheCivilWarAmendments,onthemeaningoftheThirteenth,theFourteenthandineffecttheFifteenthAmendments.Thatday,thesameday,EasterSunday,inColfax,Louisiana--atown,notverybig,namedforSchuylerColfax,theVice-PresidentoftheUnitedStatesintheGrantAdministration--inGrantParish--renamedbytheRepublicanregimeforUlyssesGrant--thelargestmassmurderofAmericanseverinAmericanhistoryoccurred,inthepoliticalviolencestemmingfromthedividedelectioninLouisiana,backinthefallof1872.Now9/11ofcoursekilledmoreAmericans.Wecangetcaughtupincategoriesofwhatisdomesticviolenceandforeignviolenceandsoforth,butthisisthelargestmassmurderofAmericansinourhistory,sofaraswecantell.ThatdividedelectionproducedineffecttwocompetinggovernmentsinLouisiana:
theRepublicanregimewhichdidwintheelection,forallpracticalpurposes,inspiteofthetremendouspoliticalviolencecommittedagainstparticularlyblackvotersinthatfall'72election;butaso-calledFusionticketofbasicallyakindofwhitesupremacistcoalitionalsoclaimedtobethelegitimategovernmentofLouisiana.Andinthissituationofessentiallyanongoingvigilantewar,throughoutmanyoftheparishes,counties,ofLouisiana,astandofftookplaceinColfax.I'llcomebacktothatinamoment.
ButbacktotheSlaughterhouseCasethatcamedownthatday.Itwas,intheend,atestingofthePrivilegesandImmunitiesClauseoftheFourteenthAmendment.In1869theCityofNewOrleans,underitsRepublicanstategovernment,createdacorporationtomovetheslaughterhouseofNewOrleans--thereactuallyhadneverbeenalegitimateslaughterhouseinNewOrleans.WhatthebutchersofNewOrleanswoulddo,thewhitebutchersofNewOrleanswoulddo,isthey'dherdthehogsthroughthestreetsofNewOrleansandbasicallythey'dbutcherthethingswherevertheywantedto,andtheyalwaysthrewallthe--thisgetsugly--alloftheoffalfromthehogsintotheMississippiRiver,upriverfromthecity,beforetheriverreachedthemainwaterpipelineintothecity.Thishadlongbeenaproblem,longbeenaseriesofcomplaints.Andsothiswasanattemptatcleangovernmentandcleancities.Thecity,andthestatebackingitup,createdacorporationthatcreatedanewslaughterhouse.TheymoveditacrosstheMississippiRiveranddownstreamfromthecity,forhealthreasons.Theyputinastate-appointedinspector,andthewhitebutchersofNewOrleanswereangry.Somebutchersandsomecriticschargedthiswasamonopolyandanunfairpractice.Twenty-fivebutchersbroughtsuit,withsupportfromtherevivingDemocraticParty--whitebutchers.Thelowercourtsinthisparticularsuitfoundinfavorofthenewcorporation.ItwasappealedtotheU.S.SupremeCourt.Itgotonthedocketin'72.ItwasdecidedApril14,1873.Itwasafive-to-fourdecision.Seeminglyonthesurface,whenyoureadit--it'slikemanycourtdecisions,it'sabitboringatfirst;fivecasesfrombutchersandsoonandsoon,andyouwonderwhatthehell'sthisabout?
Thenyoukeepreadingandyourealizeitbecameafundamentaldecision.
JusticeSamuelMiller,forthemajority,arguedthattheThirteenthandFourteenthAmendmentswereintended--thiswasthegoodpartofthedecision--toendslaveryandadvancetherightsofthefreedmen.Buthemadeasharp--inotherwords,nottoprotectabunchofwhitebutchersinNewOrleans.Andbytheway,theleadlawyer,forthebutchers,intheSlaughterhouseCases,wasnoneotherthanamannamedJohnA.Campbell,aGeorgia-born,formermemberoftheSupremeCourt.Hehadbeenpartofthesix-manmajorityintheDredScottdecisionof1857;resignedhispositionintheU.S.SupremeCou
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