People/CharactersBen Tillman
Works (3)
| Titles | Order |
|---|---|
| How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi | |
| Lost Battalions by Richard Slotkin | Benjamin Tillman, Pitchfork Ben |
| The Reckless Decade: America in the 1890s by H. W. Brands |
| Titles | Order |
|---|---|
| How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi | |
| Lost Battalions by Richard Slotkin | Benjamin Tillman, Pitchfork Ben |
| The Reckless Decade: America in the 1890s by H. W. Brands |
| Description | Benjamin Ryan Tillman (August 11, 1847 – July 3, 1918) was a politician of the Democratic Party who served as governor of South Carolina from 1890 to 1894, and as a United States Senator from 1895 until his death in 1918. A white supremacist who opposed civil rights for black Americans, Tillman led a paramilitary group of Red Shirts during South Carolina's violent 1876 election. On the floor of the U.S. Senate, he defended lynching, and frequently ridiculed black Americans in his speeches, boasting of having helped kill them during that campaign. Considered a possible candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 1896, Tillman lost any chance after giving a disastrous speech at the convention. He became known for his virulent oratory—especially against black Americans—but also for his effectiveness as a legislator. The first federal campaign finance law, banning corporate contributions, is commonly called the Tillman Act. Tillman was repeatedly re-elected, serving in the Senate for the rest of his life. One of his legacies was South Carolina's 1895 constitution, which disenfranchised most of the black majority and many poor whites, and ensured white Democratic Party rule for more than six decades into the 20th century. Wikipedia |