Talk:D. Wyatt Aiken

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Aiken likely did oppose recently freed slaves from voting, though it had nothing to do with race. Most freed slaves were uneducated. Uneducated voters were feared because it was thought they could be easily swayed by crooked, ambitious politicians. This fear lead to more fear, which lead to irrationality, which lead to stupidity, which lead to a very shameful period in SC history. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.19.3.218 (talk) 02:28, 12 May 2014 (UTC)

Any information on D Wight Aikens involvement in Red Shirt Activities is contested, and does not belong on wikipedia. While the KKK may have used the Grange as a cover for their activities, there were actually black Granges contemporary with the American reconstruction. The Grange is not, nor has it ever been a white supremacist organization. Many members were in the Grange from all walks of life. D. Wight Aiken could have just as likely been set up, so who knows. There is no factual evidence. Every source (or sources of the sources) notes this is hearsay. Check them! — Preceding unsigned comment added by JMfor2001 (talk • contribs) 01:47, 12 May 2014 (UTC)

The following statement is being removed for the following reasons (1) The source does not seem to cite where it got the information. This source also seems biased. (2) The red shirt terrorist is a modern group. If true, this statement needs a better source and rewording.

.. During Reconstruction he participated in Red Shirt terrorist activities against Republicans and publicly (and successfully) called for the murder of a newly elected black Republican state senator.[1] — Preceding unsigned comment added by JMfor2001 (talk • contribs) 12:17, 21 June 2012 (UTC)

Sources for allegations about Aiken's involvement in Red Shirt, KKK activities, and in assassination of Senator Randolph

Sorry for my delay in replying, I've only just noticed your revert of some of my edits. I've created a new section since it may take some discussion to reach consensus on how best to present the material about Aiken and his involvement in white supremacist activities. I've numbered items for convenience, so that any response can either be inline or refer to the numbered list.

I would suggest comments on the suitability of each source followed by a new section providing sources with alternate perspective, perhaps exonerating Aiken or supporting the claim that he was set up.

From there, we can work together on language that captures the controversy in a suitable fashion.

Here are the sources I have found with respect to Aiken and his involvement in assassination, Red Shirt, and KKK activities.

• 1. Aiken had publicly issued threats against Randolph's life

Kantrowitz, Stephen (2000). "Chapter 3: One Man's Mob is another Man's Militia: Violence, Manhood, and Authority in Reconstruction South Carolina". Jumpin' Jim Crow: Southern Politics from the Civil War to Civil Rights. Princeton University Press. p. 84, footnote 16.

• 2. Aiken publicly called for the assassination of a black state legislator, Benjamin F. Randolph, saying “never to suffer this man Randolph to come into your midst; if he does, give him four feet by six.” Shapiro, Herbert (January, 1964). "The Ku Klux Klan During Reconstruction: The South Carolina Episode". The Journal of Negro History. 49 (1): 35–36. JSTOR 2716475. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

• 3. The federal military authority in the region received reports that Aiken was involved in the assassination. De Knight, W.F. (Oct 16, 1868). "Reconstruction as an Armed Insurgency".

• 4. Aiken was arrested by state constables on November 9, 1868, and detained on suspicion as an accessory before the fact. "Arrest of Col. D. Wyatt Aiken". The Daily Phoenix. Columbia, SC. November 10, 1868. p. 2, col. 6.

• 5. Aiken was released on $5,000 bail on November 12. "Release of Col. Aiken". The Daily Phoenix. Columbia, SC. November 13, 1868. p. 2, col. 5.

• 6. Aiken subsequently wrote an open letter to the state Governor, published in the Charleston Daily News on November 19, 1868, disputing the authority of the state Constable to arrest him and claiming that he was feloniously incarcerated in Columbia for two days. "Sharp Letter from Col. D. Wyatt Aiken to Governor Scott Denouncing his late Arbitrary Arrest". Charleston Daily News. November 19, 1868. p. 1.

Here are some additional resources which may be of use in this discussion, but which I don’t see as tied to specific claims about Aiken’s involvement.

• 7. Zuczek, Robert (2006). Encyclopedia of the Reconstruction Era: A-L. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 26–27. ISBN 9780313330742.

• 8. "Testimony of William Tolbert, Hoge v. Reed, contested election". United States Congress: Testimony Taken by the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States: The Ku-Klux Conspiracy. IV: South Carolina. U. S. Government Printing Office: p. 1256–1260. 1872. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help) In this section of the report, Tolbert testifies to the efforts to suppress the black vote in South Carolina and his involvement in the assassination of Randolph.

• 9. "Reconstruction as an Armed Insurgency: Assassination of B.F. Randolph (Hodge's Depot)". Ehren Foley, Public History Program at the University of South Carolina. 2012. Web page with map and links to primary sources concerning Randolph's assailants. A related page contains an extensive bibliography on reconstruction in South Carolina.

• 10. Burke, W. Lewis. "All we ask is Equal Rights". University of South Carolina Law School.

• 11. Powers, Jr., Bernard E. (1994). Black Charlestonians. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press. p. 149. ISBN 9781610750707.

• 12. Huff, Jr., A. V. (April 26, 2006). "Political Assassination in South Carolina". South Carolinian Society, 70th Annual Meeting.

• 13. "More arrests in Abbeville". The Daily Phoenix. Columbia, SC. December 30, 1868. p. 1, col. 1.

• 14. Zuczek, Richard (1996). State of Rebellion: Reconstruction in South Carolina. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press. pp. 54, 57–58. ISBN 9781570031052.

Dictioneer (talk) 01:33, 17 May 2014 (UTC)