Reconstruction, Redemption, and Representation

• In Event: Southern Reconstruction and Its Aftermath: APD and HPE Perspectives

Abstract

Reconstruction in the U.S. South after the American Civil War represented a dramatic attempt to reshape the racial politics of the region. Given the abundant evidence that Reconstruction affected Black political participation and violence against Black communities, we know surprisingly little about how it shaped legislative representation in the U.S. South. In this paper, we outline how state-building supported by military troops shapes policies in the short and long term. We present original data on roll call voting in Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction southern state legislatures as a way to measure legislative behavior, and demonstrate both the short and medium-term consequences of federal troop presence for state legislative representation. Our results speak to the fragility of political representation in post-conflict, multi-racial settings.

Authors

• Michael P. Olson, Washington University in St. Louis

• Amaan Charaniya

• William G. Nomikos, University of California, Santa Barbara