Reconstruction Era, 1865-1877
Before the Civil War, Florida had been well on its way
to becoming another of the southern cotton states. Afterward,
the lives of many residents changed. The ports of Jacksonville
and Pensacola again flourished due to the demand for lumber
and forest products to rebuild the nation's cities. Those
who had been slaves were declared free. Plantation owners
tried to regain prewar levels of production by hiring former
slaves to raise and pick cotton. However, such programs
did not work well, and much of the land came under cultivation
by tenant farmers and sharecroppers, both African American
and white.
Beginning in 1868, the federal government instituted a
congressional program of "reconstruction" in Florida
and the other southern states. During this period, Republican
officeholders tried to enact sweeping changes, many of which
were aimed at improving conditions for African Americans.
At the time of the 1876 presidential election, federal
troops still occupied Florida. The state's Republican government
and recently enfranchised African American voters helped
to put Rutherford B. Hayes in the White House. However,
Democrats gained control of enough state offices to end
the years of Republican rule and prompt the removal of federal
troops the following year. A series of political battles
in the state left African Americans with little voice in
their government.
Text from: A Short History of Florida
Used with the permission of Florida's Division of Historical
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