Abstract:
A political crisis developed in North Carolina in the 1890s with the formation of the Populist Party, a combination of disgruntled farmers, blacks, and whites. Populists voted for Republicans supportive of their needs and helped them capture the legislature in 1894 and the governorship in 1896. Democrats turned to racism in order to recapture power in 1900. To insure they would stay in power, Democrats passed a constitutional amendment disenfranchising blacks.