Why didn't Southern White Democrats try to give Black Confederates the vote after the war?

Pat Young

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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Jan 7, 2013
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Long Island, NY
I have been studying Reconstruction through the primary sources for five years now. One thing that has struck me is the evolution of many Unionists on the issue of Black Suffrage. Most opposed it in 1863 but by 1865, with so many Black men serving in the Union army, many, if not most, had come to the conclusion that Black Union veterans should have the right to vote.

In looking at the sources, I have never seen a similar call at the end of the war by white Southern Conservatives (Democrats) to extend the right to vote to Black Confederates. Why is that?

By the way, if anyone can offer evidence that some Conservatives did call for Black Confederate voting, please post it on this thread. My own searches have looked at thousands of articles, resolutions, and documents but they cannot be considered exhaustive. I would love to see that I am wrong here.
 
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