{"product_id":"the-thief-the-senator-and-the-knight-of-the-bleeding-heart-john-stephens-and-the-ku-klux-klan-in-reconstruction-north-carolina-9798859083183","title":"The Thief, the Senator, and the Knight of the Bleeding Heart: John Stephens and the Ku Klux Klan in Reconstruction North Carolina","description":"The murder of John Walter Stephens by the Ku Klux Klan in 1870 was a turning point in the fight for equal voting rights in North Carolina. \u003ci\u003eThe Thief, the Senator, and the Knight of the Bleeding Heart\u003c\/i\u003e is an intriguing and original work that is part biography (of both Stephens and his electoral opponent, former U.S. Senator Bedford Brown), part period history, part legal analysis, and part true crime thriller. The author is a retired appellate criminal defense attorney who brings the events to life as never before by treating the subject as a cold case to be investigated from the ground up through exhaustive archival research and close analysis of the evidence. Along the way, he exposes a nineteenth century campaign of propaganda, voter intimidation and electoral fraud that serves as a reminder to this modern age that there is nothing new under the sun. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"This is an important book.\" -- Fergus M. Bordewich, author of \u003ci\u003eKlan War: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction\u003c\/i\u003e (available on Amazon). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe author \"deftly dissects\" the smear on Stephens' name, \"digs deeply into the backgrounds of Stephens, his rivals, his enemies and his supporters,\" and \"makes use of court records, congressional testimony and personal correspondence to draw a more finely textured account of the political trench warfare.\" -- \u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal, \u003c\/i\u003e January 6, 2024.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Independently Published","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50459470922002,"sku":"9798859083183","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_9525b03f-be8f-4548-909f-ce0c9b92612e.jpg?v=1729985831","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-thief-the-senator-and-the-knight-of-the-bleeding-heart-john-stephens-and-the-ku-klux-klan-in-reconstruction-north-carolina-9798859083183","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}