Reconstruction era removed civilian governments in the South, and placed the former Confederacy under the rule of the U.S. Army. The army conducted new elections in which the freed slaves could vote, while whites who had held leading positions under the Confederacy were temporarily denied the vote and were not permitted to run for office. In ten states, coalitions of freedmen, recent black and white arrivals from the North (carpetbaggers), and white Southerners who supported Reconstruction (scalawags) cooperated to form Republican biracial state governments. They introduced various reconstruction programs including: funding public schools, establishing charitable institutions, raising taxes, and funding public improvements
Refusal to serve in a public office Refusal to serve in a public office Refusal to serve in a public office is an offence under the common law of England and Wales. The offence is currently regarded as obsolete, and it may extend only to the appointment of high sheriffs. As a common law offence, it is tried on indictment and can be punished by an unlimited fine and/or period of imprisonment. Members of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom or candidates for election are exempt from the requirement to accept public office where it would cause them to be disqualified from being MPs, although