New in paper
State of Rebellion
Reconstruction in South Carolina
Richard Zuczek
State of Rebellion recounts the volatile course of Reconstruction in the state that experienced the longest, largest, and most dynamic federal presence in the years immediately following the Civil War. Richard Zuczek examines the opposition of conservative
white South Carolinians to the Republican-led program and the federal and state
governments’ attempts to quell such resistance. Contending that the issues that had
driven secession—the relationship of the states to the federal government and the
status of African Americans—remained unresolved even after Northern victory, Zuczek
describes the period from 1865 to 1877 as a continuation of the struggle that began
in 1861. He argues that Republican efforts failed primarily because of an organized,
coherent effort by white Southerners committed to white supremacy.
Zuczek details the tactics—from judicial and political fraud to economic coercion,
terrorism, and guerrilla activity—employed by conservatives to nullify the African
American vote, control African American labor, and oust northern Republicans from
the state. He documents the federal government’s attempt to quash the conservative
challenge but shows that, by 1876, white opposition was so unified, widespread, and
well armed that it passed beyond government control.
“A well-crafted, intelligent, and important contribution to Reconstruction and South
Carolina historiography. Certainly anyone interested in South Carolina after the Civil
War would be well advised to read this book.”—South Carolina Historical Magazine
Richard Zuczek is an associate professor of government and history at the
U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. He is editor of the
two-volume Encyclopedia of the Reconstruction Era and coauthor of Andrew
Johnson: A Biographical Companion.
April 2009, 260 pages, 20 illus.
Method of payment:
_____ Check or money order: (payable to USC Press in United States dollars)
Credit Card: _____ Discover _____ Mastercard _____ Visa
Account number: _____________________________________ Exp. Date ________
Signature: ____________________________________________________________
Name (please print): ________________________________ Phone: ____________
Shipping Address: ______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Send me ______ copy/copies
(pb, 978-1-57003-848-8, $24.95 each) ______
SC residents add 7% sales tax ______
Shipping and Handling* ______
CODE AUFR
TOTAL ______
*add $6.00 for first book,
$2.00 for each additional book
718 Devine Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
800-768-2500 • Fax 800-868-0740 • www.sc.edu/uscpress