On this day in history, the outspoken racist Benjamin Tillman, who advocated violence against African American voters, was elected Governor of South Carolina. Tillman was born on August 11, 1847, in Edgefield, South Carolina on a plantation with 86 slaves. After the Civil War, Tillman himself became a landowner, and by 1876, Tillman was the largest landowner in Edgefield County. According to “‘Pitchfork’ Ben Tillman: The Most Lionized Figure in South Carolina History” (The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (JBHE) No. 58 (Winter, 2007/2008), pp. 38-39): He …
Read More
