Macks in Politics
Chapters
Introduction
The Macks as Refugees
Macks in the War
Macks in Politics
Although living in a Union state, the Macks were unhappy in Iowa. Marshal complained bitterly about the people, and his comments on the Republican Party foreshadowed the family’s involvement in wartime politics. Marshal’s letter also reveals deep animosity towards African-Americans. While the family soon became Radical Republicans, a party often thought of for championing the rights of Freedmen during Reconstruction, for the Macks, Radical Republicanism was a way of striking back at southern sympathizers.
We are all well & hearty & heatily tired of this part of the world when a niger is more th-ought of than a poor white man by a darned sight As to pretty girls & complements I have not saw one pretty girl in this place you can see the top of the pot here walking into the church June on Sundays, locked arms with the infurnal Blac negro wenches that live in this place I mean young white ladys or at least they are called ladies (this is a fact no dispute) so you know what I think of the society here but thank god there is some exception to the rule but they are the most negro worshiping set I Ever want to live among what you hear of the people of the north on that subject is true as fare as I can see with the Republicans as they caul Them selves but as I caul Them Abo–litionish That is Their name
Marshal Mack to Rufus H.C. Mack, February 25, 1862
Like so many Unionists, the Mack’s bitter sentiments towards Southern sympathizers did not end with the war Missouri. The guerrilla warfare that had plagued the region throughout the war left a deep rift of hatred and vengeance among Union families whom were forced to suffer at the hands of guerrillas.
The years 1864 to 1868 has been referred to as the “Reign of Terror” as animosity between the two sides continued and eventually influenced politics. The Radical Republicans vowed to punish all Southern sympathizers for their role in the war, thus, enacting harsh laws against them. John A. Mack, a continued member of the Radical Republican party, apposed anyone in Missouri holding a political office that did not have a “legitimate” stake in the Union.
Southern sympathizers were stripped of their rights to vote, they were removed from all public offices, and professionals such as lawyers, teachers, and ministers had their professional licenses revoked. Remaining active in the political realm the Macks discussed many policies that shaped post-war Missouri.
