White conservatives in the South were outraged, and they were
determined to have , absolutely nothing to do with a government
which permitted Negro participation. They spread the myth that
Reconstruction governments were in the grip of intolerably
stupid and corrupt black men. Although Negroes were elected to
state governments in significant numbers, the fact was that at no
time were they in control. Moreover, when the critics themselves
came to power, they did nothing to undo the work of the
Reconstruction governments. This fact cast doubts on the
sincerity of their criticism. The one thing which the white
conservatives did when they regained power was to disenfranchise
the blacks. This indicated that their real complaint in regard to
Reconstruction was the participation of Negroes in government.
With the Federal Government protecting the civil and political
rights of the ex-slave, the South was unable to use the law to
keep him in his place. The passionate belief in white superiority
and a desperate fear of black retaliation caused many whites to
resort to physical intimidation to achieve their purposes.
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