PatYoung
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- May 14, 2019
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One of the odder aspects of writing about Reconstruction is the reaction to my use of the word "conservative." I sometimes describe those white Southerners opposed to Reconstruction, and particularly the enfranchisement of blacks as "conservatives." When appropriate, I also use the term "Democrats" as well. It is the use of "conservative" that draws some folks ire on social media. They often accuse me of trying to smear modern conservatives by anachronistically referring to some opponents of Reconstruction with that word.
I have seen thousands of newspaper articles from 1865 to 1868 in which the opponents of Reconstruction and some supporters of the Ku Klux Klan refer to themselves as "conservatives." I wrote this blog post which has a number of examples of this use by people during the early Reconstruction period.
https://thereconstructionera.com/general-meade-outlaws-ku-klux-propaganda-april-1868/
I have seen thousands of newspaper articles from 1865 to 1868 in which the opponents of Reconstruction and some supporters of the Ku Klux Klan refer to themselves as "conservatives." I wrote this blog post which has a number of examples of this use by people during the early Reconstruction period.
https://thereconstructionera.com/general-meade-outlaws-ku-klux-propaganda-april-1868/