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“The ‘Bloody Shirt’ Reformed”
Justice. "Five More Wanted."
In
this cartoon, the personification of Justice resolutely demands the
execution of those white men responsible for the murder of six black men
after a race riot at Hamburg, South Carolina, in July 1876. She is
bounded by the founding documents of the American republic: the
Declaration of Independence (left) and the Constitution (right), with
the artist emphasizing the latter's guarantees of republican government
and equal protection. In the background, wall posters name white
terrorist groups in the South: the Ku Klux Klan, the White League, and
the White Liners.As the
U.S. Army gradually withdrew from the post-Civil War South in the 1870s,
and Northern support for Reconstruction waned, black men were
increasingly kept from the polls, allowing the election across the South
of white-only Democratic administrations called "Redeemer"
governments. In 1876, South Carolina was one of
the three remaining states that still had federal troops present, and that had not undergone "redemption."
The Democratic Party in the state was bitterly divided, and racial tensions were
high.
The Democratic
"Fusionists" argued for focusing on local and legislative
elections since Governor Daniel Chamberlain was likely to be reelected
with support from the black Republican majority. The
"Straight-Out" Democrats overtly urged that white supremacy
(or "redemption") could triumph if each white Democrat
prevented at least one black man from voting through intimidation,
bribery, or other means. In May, the Democratic State Convention
was unable to agree on nominations for state office.
Racially animosity was evident in the town of Hamburg, South
Carolina, where the majority black residents complained of unfair
treatment and the minority whites responded with charges of
harassment. On July 4, the town held an Independence Day
celebration, commemorating the centennial of the American
republic. Members of the local black militia had gathered for a
parade when two white farmers ordered them to disperse so their wagon
could pass. Heated words were exchanged, but the white men were
allowed to continue on their way.
The next day, one of the farmers appeared in the town court demanding
the arrest of the black militia captain, who, in turn, denounced the judge for
considering the possibility. The captain was ordered to stand
trial for contempt of court on July 8, at which time members of the
black militia and a group of armed white men congregated in the
town. When the black militia refused to disarm, fighting erupted,
and the whites brought a cannon and 100 more men from nearby Augusta,
Georgia. Under cover of night, the outnumbered black men attempted
to flee, resulting in one being killed and twenty-five captured.
Early the next morning, five of the captives were murdered in cold
blood, and the property of the black townspeople was
ransacked. A young white man was killed during the plunder.
Within South Carolina, the incident strengthened the
"Straight-Out" faction of the
Democratic Party, which nominated Wade Hampton for governor. They were
victorious in the fall elections, and South Carolina joined the ranks of
the "redeemed" states. In the North, the Hamburg
Massacre became a symbol of the anti-black, anti-Reconstruction violence
perpetrated by segments of the Democratic Party in the South. Seven white men were indicted for
the Hamburg murders, but the case against them was
dropped after the Redeemers assumed office.
Robert C. Kennedy
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