"Two Voices From North Carolina," June 3, 1865

"Two Voices From North Carolina," June 3, 1865

The article was written June 3, 1865, by employees of Harper’s Weekly, a Republican newspaper, to share its opinions on the Reconstruction efforts in North Carolina with a broad audience. The article compared the plans of two different groups on the future of North Carolina, the first group of white Republicans, represented by the Hon. W. W. Holden and the second, African Americans in North Carolina. The article slammed Holden as a disloyal member of the Union because he voted for secession. The author believed that Holden would let former Confederates continue to repress the power of the federal government and the rights of African Americans and that Holden could not be trusted. The article stated that because the only truly loyal citizens of North Carolina were African Americans, their input should be the only ones taken into account. The article agrees that the African American plan to acquire voting rights could not “be more just, more simple, more constitutional, and more effective.”

"Two Voices From North Carolina," Harper's Weekly, June 3, 1865, HarpWeek, accessed October 31, 2014, http://www.harpweek.com.

1865-06-03

Ryan Eubanks

Document

North Carolina

Newspaper Article

Several gentlemen have come from North Carolina to Washington to confer with the Government upon the subject of the reorganization of that State. Among them is the Hon. W. W. Holden, who is understood to be a representative of the Union men at the South who are sincerely glad of the triumph of the Government. He was indeed a delegate to the State Convention in 1861, and signed the ordinance of secession, because, as he says, escape was “physically and morally impossible.” But for some time, as the editor of a paper at Raleigh, Mr. Holden has rebelled against the rebellion, and was the “Peace” or Union candidate for Governor against Vance. At a late Union meeting in Raleigh Mr. Holden made a speech which is worthy of attention as the authoritative statement of the present views of the white Union men at the South upon the subject of reorganization. The colored Union citizens of North Carolina have also expressed their views. Let us compare the two plans.