Reconstruction Era: Terror in the South
Summary
Host Don Wildman and guest Bradley Rubiro examine the collapse of Reconstruction through racial terrorism, the Colfax Massacre, and the disputed 1876 election. They analyze how Supreme Court rulings in *U.S. v. Cruikshank* and the *Civil Rights Cases* gutted the 14th Amendment, enabling Jim Crow laws. The episode details the resulting disenfranchisement, the Great Exodus, and the legal foundations of segregation.
Topics discussed
Sponsors: History Hit, ZocDoc, and Acast
Introduction: The End of Reconstruction and Guest Bradley Rubiro
Early Reconstruction: Voting Rights and Organized Resistance
The Colfax Massacre: Violence and Federal Response
US v. Cruikshank: Legal Challenges to Federal Prosecutions
Political Shifts: Waning Northern Support and Democratic Gains
Supreme Court Limits: Privileges and Immunities Clause
Sponsors: ZocDoc and After Dark Podcast
1876 Election and the Compromise of 1877
Collapse of Reconstruction: Troop Withdrawal and Disenfranchisement
The Great Exodus: Black Migration to Kansas
Systematic Disenfranchisement: Poll Taxes and Literacy Tests
Ida B. Wells and the Rise of Jim Crow Laws
Sponsors: ZocDoc and After Dark Podcast
Civil Rights Cases of 1883: Striking Down Federal Protections
Plessy v. Ferguson and the 'Separate but Equal' Doctrine
Frederick Douglass's Vision and Hope in Constitutional Law
Conclusion and Final Sponsor Message
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