The White League

The White League was a white supremacist paramilitary organization that was founded in the United States South in 1874. It was often associated and allied with groups like the KKK and the Democratic Party in the South, and was created in order to intimidate freedmen from political organization and casting votes. It was responsible for widespread violence against them, as well as white Republicans, in Louisiana and Mississippi mainly.

This organization was created by a group of Confederate veterans, many of whom had participated in the Colfax massacre, in Louisiana at the time, with the purpose of exterminating the carpetbagger element and restoring white supremacy. Through their violence, they hoped to dismantle the reconstruction government. They held large rallies and often disrupted court sessions to coerce Republican officeholders into resigning. The terrorist group found success in murdering several of these Republican officials, and drove many from their homes as well. They also successfully battled the Metropolitan police of New Orleans, and forcefully occupied the city hall, statehouse, and arsenal of the city. Described as the military arm of the Democratic party, they helped white democrats gain control of the state legislature in 1876 through their actions, and even became assimilated into the National Guard and state militias.

One of the White League's most notable terrorist acts was actually in Vicksburg. After patrolling the streets and targeting blacks, the group ended up forcing black sheriff Peter Crosby and his board of supervisors out of their offices. This led Southern planters in the area to join up with them and hunt for Crosby's African-American supporters, resulting in hundreds of deaths. Governor Adelbert Ames had to request assistance from federal troops, and fortunately was not denied by Ulysses S. Grant at this time. Although Crosby ended up being restored to office, the damage was already done.

Overall, the White League was most active in areas filled with African-Americans, and took their goals very seriously. Each unit even had their own flags, weapons, and militia emblems and insignias. Although the group is often compared to the Ku Klux Klan and was associated with them as well, they operated openly and did not hide their identities like the KKK did. Since this made them easier to support and associate with, many racist newspapers openly supported their activities, targeting and ostracizing those who they deemed inferior. The White League, in the long run, helped hasten the collapse of Radical Reconstruction through their mass killings and lynchings. Although Grant had been willing to help out once, as previously mentioned, he admitted his weariness towards the events of the South eventually, saying he was tired of the North having to deal with those problems. The northern public increasingly began to feel the resentment in the same way, and were less adamant about protecting black civil rights and retreated from reconstruction, thus helping the White League achieve their goal even more at the time.

Sources:
https://mississippiencyclopedia.org/entries/white-leagues/
https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/white-league-formed/
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/white-league
https://www.americanhistoryusa.com/topic/white-league/