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A controversial history of Reconstruction in Florida, by the longest-serving Black elected official of the time. John Wallace (1842-1908) was born a slave in North Carolina. When Union troops moved through the area in February 1862, he seized the opportunity for freedom, and joined the Second Colored Infantry the next year. He saw action in Florida, where he eventually settled. Wallace was a page at the Florida Constitutional Convention in 1868 and was elected constable of Leon County that same year. A Republican who often sided with Democrats, he served two terms in the Florida House, followed by two terms in the Florida Senate. In all, he held elective office longer than any other Black man in Florida. Contrary to expectations, Carpetbag Rule in Florida, his only book, is very critical of his fellow Republicans and Reconstruction rule, serving as a source for generations of historians critical of Reconstruction. Wallace's views reflect the fractured nature of Republican politics in Florida during Reconstruction, as well as his own personal allegiances. He recounts his experiences in government and includes a number of documents that reflect his views of people and events, including notes from the 1868 constitutional convention, legislative debates, the unsuccessful effort to annex West Florida to Alabama, and railroad dealings. The book served as a useful tool for Democrats during the 1888 election. From the time of the book's publication, many doubted that Wallace was the true author. Some attributed it to Harrison Reed (1813-89), the first Republican governor of Florida, who served from 1868 to 1873. Reed is one of two other men whose engraved likeness is included here along with Wallace; the other is Jonathan C. Gibbs, the first African-American secretary of state and superintendent of public instruction in the history of the state. Others have noted that the book may have been written by Wallace's political patron, William D. Bloxham, who was a leading Democrat and was elected governor in 1880. A scarce and controversial work by an African-American legislator in the deep Reconstruction South. HOWES W53, "b." SERVIES 9109. BLOCKSON 2554. WORK, p.375. LINCOVE 1616, 1579 (note). Original printed front wrapper, spine and rear wrapper repaired with modern paper. Original wrapper a bit soiled and worn, old tape repairs on interior. Neat modern tissue repairs to corners of frontispiece, text lightly tanned (heavier to last three leaves), several repaired tears to final leaf. Good plus.
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