Johnson Hagood (American National Bibliography)

Hagood was not as well known at the end of the twentieth century as he was at its beginning. While there is little doubt that white Carolinians would have overthrown the Reconstruction regime in 1876, they opted not to resort to overt violence as had Mississippi and other states of the Lower South. Some contemporary observers credit Hagood with developing the successful plans for the 1876 election campaign. As governor, he helped implement the conservatives' plans for gradually reducing the influence of black voters. However, like his fellow conservatives, he was blind to the economic distress that afflicted the great majority of the state's white farmers and did nothing to alleviate their difficulties. His inaction, and that of his like-minded successors, led to the triumph of Tillmanism in 1890.