Nicholas Lemann’s book “Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War” takes place in the Reconstruction Era in the state of Mississippi. “Redemption” is told through the eyes of a Republican carpetbagger, Adelbert Ames. The two main themes in “Redemption” are violence and divide between Republican and Democratic Parties.
As a young boy, Ames attended the United States Military Academy under the watch of Robert E. Lee. During his time with the Union Army, he fought in sixteen battles, later winning the Medal of Honor before turning thirty. The next mission Ames journeyed through was becoming the provisional governor of Mississippi. He would move south to Mississippi but always had ties to the north, since his wife and children lived with her …show more content…
This party firmly believed the power in the south would shift from Democrat to Republican. This would be a result of the millions of African Americans free from slavery. They now get a vote in what will be happening in their county and state. Mississippi was a majority African American state at the time. Not all African Americans were Republican, but majority of them were. On the other hand, not all whites were Democrat but most were. The numbers have now switched from favoring the Democrats to the Republicans. With this switch, the Democrats had ruled for so long now could be in danger of losing the most important thing, …show more content…
The men within the state decided this violence would have to be taken care of within the state and without any federal help. They agreed on The Peace Conference. Ames would halt sending African American militia into cities and actually disband the troops in general. In return, Democrats promised the African Americans would get the fair voting privileges they were promised by the 15th Amendment and there would be no more killing. Just weeks before the next elections, the Republicans realized The Peace Conference was not real. Mississippi would not have a fair vote in Mississippi or most of the other southern
As a young boy, Ames attended the United States Military Academy under the watch of Robert E. Lee. During his time with the Union Army, he fought in sixteen battles, later winning the Medal of Honor before turning thirty. The next mission Ames journeyed through was becoming the provisional governor of Mississippi. He would move south to Mississippi but always had ties to the north, since his wife and children lived with her …show more content…
This party firmly believed the power in the south would shift from Democrat to Republican. This would be a result of the millions of African Americans free from slavery. They now get a vote in what will be happening in their county and state. Mississippi was a majority African American state at the time. Not all African Americans were Republican, but majority of them were. On the other hand, not all whites were Democrat but most were. The numbers have now switched from favoring the Democrats to the Republicans. With this switch, the Democrats had ruled for so long now could be in danger of losing the most important thing, …show more content…
The men within the state decided this violence would have to be taken care of within the state and without any federal help. They agreed on The Peace Conference. Ames would halt sending African American militia into cities and actually disband the troops in general. In return, Democrats promised the African Americans would get the fair voting privileges they were promised by the 15th Amendment and there would be no more killing. Just weeks before the next elections, the Republicans realized The Peace Conference was not real. Mississippi would not have a fair vote in Mississippi or most of the other southern