The American Conservative Fory

Du boys draws a false equivalence between the carpet bag governments and their corrupt northern contemporaries, which included urban machines like tammany hall. The absurdity of this comparison can be easily illustrated. By 18 80, new york was the biggest richest city in america, while the south was still poorer than it had been before the war. Du boys discounts this eye witness evidence as worthless. Three fourths of the testimony against the negro in reconstruction is on the unsupported evidence of men who hated and despised negroes. And regarded it as loyalty to blood, patriotism to country and filial tribute to the fathers to lie, steal or kill order to discredit these black folks.