"Everything points to a Democratic victory this fall - Southern Papers," 1874, wood engraving by James Albert Wales, courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Unit Eight: Planters, Poor Whites, and White Supremacy describes the political and social reactions of white southerners from various classes to freedmen and women during Reconstruction; reactions that ranged from proposed racial alliances to political ostracism. The Unit Eight educational documents listed on the left feature excerpts of various primary source documents and first hand accounts that provide in depth insights into these class-driven responses.