The Great South Carolina Ku Klux Klan Trials, 1871–1872 (Studies in the Legal History of the South Ser.)

Prof. Williams takes a complex subject, and in fewer than 200 pages, explains it clearly and cogently. Making one's way through the judicial processes of the 19th century is challenging even for lawyers, but she does it. She also illuminates the social and cultural implications of the KKK during the brief but critical period of 1870-1872. This is a valuable resource for any student or academic working in this historically important field.

Excellent insight into complex dynamics of the South which gave way to Jim Crow. Not clear to me that the 1-star reviewer even read the text as his comments appear to have no bearing on what's written.

I was troubled to discover the negative review above, because I regard this as a truly outstanding book. Indeed, I have decided to recommend it to incoming law students at the University of Texas Law School as one of the best ways to understand the limits of law and legal institutions. This book, although ostensibly about a very narrow subject, helps us to understand why what has come to be called "regime change"--or "reconstruction"--is so very difficult, if not impossible, unless one is willing to put almost limitless resources into the project.South Carolina, the home of the most hotheaded secessionists, might have lost the battle, but most of the white population had scarcely changed its mind about proper political relations between whites and blacks (who might well have been a majority of the population). It was no surprise, then, that the Ku Klux Klan proved to be a popular organization among South Carolina whites, who believed that terrorism might succeed in restoring white domination and black subordination.An heroic US attorney made valiant efforts to prosecute the Klan, but a major point of the book is that there were simply too many defendants and too few resources. The Grant Administration ultimately proved unwilling to pay the price required truly to change the vicious regime of racial oppression.I will leave it up to readers to make analogies to contemporary events. But I cannot recommend this book high enough, both for its historical analysis and its (unintended) resonance with regard to current events.Sanford LevinsonUniversity of Texas Law School

It's been a while, but this book helped me immensely in my dissertation which ended up being a first! So thanks a million.