What had formerly been ruled by Democratic hardliners was now governed by equally radical Republicans intent on changing the ways of the South. One of the primary goals of Reconstruction was to integrate blacks into Southern society and readmit the states that seceded, but only after blacks had won full political and civil equality (Wormser, “Reconstruction”). This, however, did not align with the idea that most Southern leaders at the time held, and there was an obvious backlash to the Republican …show more content…
These Democrats were men who feared their loss of power after the 1894 elections. Preceding 1894, the Democrats had control of the North Carolina General Assembly, with their major competitors being the Populists and the Republicans. During the 1894 elections, these two parties combined their platforms and ran together, creating a “Fusion” party that ousted Democratic hegemony in both houses of the General Assembly. What was truly insulting and infuriating to the Democrats, however, was the election of a Fusionist, Daniel Russell as the governor of North Carolina in 1896. In addition, Russell enacted a series of policies that expanded franchisement to include more blacks, leading to a biracial government in Wilmington