Jefferson Davis, The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government

During the existence of the Confederate government, the Protestant Episcopal Church South was established, and the prayer for the President of the United States and all in civil authority, in the Book of Common Prayer was changed to one for the Confederate authorities. Upon the restoration of the authority of the United States, the prayer for the president was omitted altogether, by the recommendation of Bishop Wilmer; on this Major General Woods issued an order by which the bishop and all his clergy in the diocese of Alabama ‘were suspended from their functions and forbidden to preach or perform divine service.’ The order was subsequently set aside by President Johnson.

At the session of the legislature in November, 1866, the fourteenth amendment to the United States Constitution was rejected by an overwhelming majority.

On assuming command of the Third Military Division under the act of Congress of March 2, 1867, Major General Pope assigned Major General Swayne to the ‘administration of the military reconstruction bill’ in Alabama. On April 8th the order directing the proceedings in the registration of voters was issued. Special instructions were issued, as in all the other states, to boards of registers which declared that clerks and reporters of the Supreme Court and inferior courts, and clerks to ordinary county courts, treasurers, county surveyors, receivers of tax returns, tax collectors, tax receivers, sheriffs, justices of the peace, coroners, mayors, recorders, aldermen, councilmen of any incorporated city or town, who were ex-officers of the Confederacy, and who, previous to the war, occupied these offices and afterward participated in the war, were all disqualified and not entitled to registration. Meantime the municipal officers were removed in several places, and in the city of Mobile the police administration was suspended and the maintenance of public order assumed by the commander of the military force. Finally the chief officers and councilmen of the city were removed, and others appointed by the district commander.

The registration was completed in August, and amounted to 72,748 whites and 88,243 blacks. The vote on the convention and for delegates was given on the first three days of October. A hundred delegates were chosen, of whom ninety-six were ‘radicals’—seventeen of them were blacks. On November 5th the so-called convention assembled and adopted all the amendments required by the act of Congress. The election for the ratification of the constitution, for state officers, members of the legislature, and Representatives in Congress, was held on February 4, 1868. A majority of all the registered vote was required to ratify the constitution, which was 85,000. The vote cast was 75,000.