Graphic of part of the Emancipation Proclamation
Rights and POwer: The POlitics of Reconstruction
Link to Part 1 of Section 4: Presidential Reconstruction Link to Part 2 of Section 4: Congress and Civil Rights Link to Part 3 of Section 4: The National Debate Over Reconstruction; IMpeachment; and the Election of Grant Link to Part 4 of Section 4: Reconstruction Government in the South Link to Biographies in Section 4

Election campaign in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, c.1868. (Louisiana State University)

Election campaign in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
ca. 1868.
(Andrew D. Lytle Collection, Mss. 893, 1254, Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, Louisiana State University Libraries, Baton Rouge, La.)

Click image to enlarge.

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Reconstruction - America's first experiment in interracial democracy - generated widespread interest in the political process. The Union league, a Republican organization, conducted many campaigns and registered many voters for local, state, and national elections.

This photograph depicts a brass band on a street in Baton Rouge drumming up support for a Republican candidate for the Louisiana State Senate.

The Federal regimental colors on the right show the influence of Northerners and Union loyalists in the campaign.
Copyright 2003
he Meaning of Freedom: Black and White Responses to Slavery From Free Labor to Slave Labor Rights and Power: The Politics of Reconstruction The Ending of Reconstruction Epilogue: The Unfinished Revolution Additional Resources Credits for this Exhibit Link to return to Digital History Home Link to return to Reconstruction Home Introduction