In this prize-winning book Thomas   Holt is concerned not only with the identities of the black politicians who   gained power in South Carolina during Reconstruction, but also with the question   of how they functioned within the political system. Thus, as one reviewer has   commented, "he penetrates the superficial preoccupations over whether black   politicians were venal or gullible to see whether they wielded power and influence   and, if they did, how and to what ends and against what obstacles."  "Well crafted and well written,   it not only broadens our knowledge of the period, but also deepens it, something   that recent books on Reconstruction have too often failed to do." --  Michael   Perman, American Historical Review.  . . . a valuable study of post-Civil   War black leaders in a state where Negro control came closest to realization   during Reconstruction. . . . Effectively merging the techniques of quantitative   analysis with those of narrative history, Holt shatters a number of myths and   misconceptions. . . . It should be on the reading list of all students of Reconstruction   and nineteenth-century black history." --  William C. Harris, Journal   of Southern History  "Holt presents his work modestly   as a state study of reconstruction politics. But this should not obscure a significant   intellectual achievement and a contribution of fundamental importance, demonstrating   the value of social-class analysis in understanding the politics of the black   community." --  Jonathan M. Wiener, Journal of American History.