Online Archive of University of Virginia Scholarship
Reconstruction through Rifles: The Role of Violence in Black Americans' Fight for Liberty in the Postemancipation Era129 views
Author
Calhoun, John, History - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia
Advisors
Hill Edwards, Justene, AS-History (HIST), University of Virginia
Janney, Caroline, AS-History (HIST), University of Virginia
Varon, Elizabeth, AS-History (HIST), University of Virginia
Abstract
“Reconstruction through Rifles” explores Black Americans’ struggle for liberty and their fight against white supremacy in Reconstruction Louisiana. The dissertation details five elections in Louisiana which took place between 1868 and 1876, revealing how and to what extent African Americans were able to successfully hold onto the franchise and martially defend themselves from white terrorists. I argue that Black southerners acted as the primary agents of Reconstruction process in Louisiana, relying on their own organization and military mobilization to defend their newly-won citizenship rights as well as their persons against white paramilitaries.
Calhoun, John. Reconstruction through Rifles: The Role of Violence in Black Americans' Fight for Liberty in the Postemancipation Era. University of Virginia, History - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, PHD (Doctor of Philosophy), 2024-04-26, https://doi.org/10.18130/74x5-7831.
