|
||
|
Home Page Civil Rights....Civil Wrongs Main Page Food For Thought Speeches, Writing And Thoughts Black Sports In Alabama Black Alabama's Heroes Links My Resume Contact Us Support thatsalabama.com |
THE 1901 ALABAMA CONSTITUTION 
In the late 19th Century, political power in the state of Alabama was controlled by Conservative-Democrats or Bourbons, a group of
wealthy landowners who were determined to keep both their wealth and their power.
In the 1880s and 90s a political protest movement known as Populism threatened to topple the Conservative-Democrats. The Populists appealed to people of both races, as well as appealing to industrial workers, farmers and tenants. They were described by Conservative-Democrat newspaper editors as the "Nigger Party". The political climate in Alabama at the time was incredibly heated, and it was not unusual for intimidation, violence and corruption to be used as weapons in the political process. It is believed that the Jeffersonian-Democratic (Populist) candidate, Reuben F. Kolb actually won the 1892 gubernatorial election. However, the official return gave the result to his opponent. This did however lead to a number of Populists being elected to the legislature, where they blocked an attempt to disenfranchise anyone who did not own 40 acres of property that was worth $250. In 1894, Kolb once again ran for election. Amongst his other items on his platform, he promised to protect Negro voting rights. Once again he lost by dubious means, most notably in some of the Black Belt counties, where he lost by huge margins despite the support of African American leaders. Although the rise of Populism ultimately failed for a variety of reasons, it is what led Conservative-Democrats to rewrite the constitution in 1901. There were two main aims - to eliminate blacks from the political process once and for all, and to preserve the political power of Alabama's property owners. One hundred and fifty five Delegates gathered in Montgomery on May 21, 1901 for the constitutional convention that lasted until September 3. There were no black delegates, neither were there any women. The main means used to achieve their aim of excluding blacks from voting was the introduction of a poll tax, and literacy tests. This would not only have the effect of removing poor black voters from the voter lists, but would also remove poor white voters as well. This ploy appealed to Conservative-Democrats as the bulk of Populist supporters were poor white farmers. A referendum was then held in order to ratify the new constitution. The campaign was fiercely contested, and there was much opposition, however it was passed with a vote of 108,613 to 81,734. Oddly enough, the margin of victory came from 12 black belt counties where the total vote in favor was 32,000 with only 5,000 against. These figures are beyond belief. In some counties, the returns show that not only did virtually every black male vote, but they voted for their own disenfranchisement. In other counties, no black males voted and every white male did. The result of the new constitution was that the number of black voters reduced by more than 98%. The number of registered black voters reduced from 181,000 in 1901 to just 3,000 in 1902. In Birmingham, just 30 black voters remained out of a population of 18,000 blacks, and in the 14 Black Belt counties, just 1,000 black voters remained. The new constitution had done what it had intended, the power in Alabama was now firmly in the hands of white landowners. Links To Other Internet Resources on the 1901 Alabama Constitution: The State of Alabama - Constitution of 1901. Alabama Department of Archives and History - Alabama's 1901 Constitution. Alabama's Shame: the 1901 Constitution by Wayne Flint. SIGN UP TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER If you would like us to keep you updated with changes and improvements to thatsalabama.com, please enter your email address here: If you would like to support thatsalabama.com with a donation via paypal, please click on this button: |
|
Email webmaster@thatsalabama.com