Dixie Divided: Unionist states carved out after the ACW

Mississippi and South Carolina were already majority black.

However their voting rights weren't enforced and I assume that Northern White voters wouldn't want to enforce Black voting rights too heavily in areas where they might actually be able to control the government. They would probably allow poll taxes to stop it.
 

EricM

Banned
You are right. I think that Texas' 'right' to subdivide was forfeited upon secession and readmission to the Union - if it actually existed at all to begin with.

That's kind of what I was getting at with my previous comment, but I poorly clarified it. While The North viewed them as states in rebellion, it's not as if The Union just decided to restore congressional representative rights immediately upon reacquisition. They were conquered territories, not full proper states. Maybe a poor analogy would be to compare them to Pre and Post-War France. Border wise and identity wise they are the same place, but governmentally they were not. It's not as if they held a new election, their governments were obliterated and replaced by a military occupying force with certain preconditions set before having their full rights restored.
...maybe I am just thinking about this too much, lol.
 

Jasen777

Donor
However their voting rights weren't enforced and I assume that Northern White voters wouldn't want to enforce Black voting rights too heavily in areas where they might actually be able to control the government. They would probably allow poll taxes to stop it.

Sure. I was just pointing out that there is no need to create majority black states on purpose or inadvertently by pulling out Appalachia, as there were already 2. And I agree it's unlikely that blank franchise will be enforced. But it would be interesting if it would. Two states controlled by black voters might have an impact on the concept of state's rights.
 
Sure. I was just pointing out that there is no need to create majority black states on purpose or inadvertently by pulling out Appalachia, as there were already 2. And I agree it's unlikely that blank franchise will be enforced. But it would be interesting if it would. Two states controlled by black voters might have an impact on the concept of state's rights.


What I could see happen is make sure Black Union war vets have their right to vote enforced. They could be seen as having earned it. Although there were large numbers of them it is alsoo a large number were bypassed by Sherman's army as it was merely a raid. Those not within close proximity of where he marched through remained as slaves until the end of the war. If that is too many to prevent Blacks controlling the government you could restrict it to combat units. This may well be enough to enlarge some Unionist states and yet prevent them from being Black ruled as most Blacks wound up in labor battalions, particularly under Sherman who was among the most racist of Union generals.
 
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