Wallace, John:

$4,250 · Offered by William Reese Company

CARPETBAG RULE IN FLORIDA. THE INSIDE WORKINGS OF THE RECONSTRUCTION OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT IN FLORIDA AFTER THE CLOSE OF THE CIVIL WAR. 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

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