Prince Rivers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Prince Rivers
South Carolina House of Representatives
In office 1868–1874
Personal details
Born	1824
Died	1887
Political party	Republican
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Rank	sergeant
Unit	1st South Carolina Volunteers
Battles/wars	Civil War

Prince R. Rivers (1824–1887) was an important figure in American history. He was born into slavery in South Carolina. Later, he became a soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he served as a politician in South Carolina. This was during a time called the Reconstruction era.

Prince Rivers escaped slavery and joined the Union side. He became a sergeant in the 1st South Carolina Volunteers. This was a Union army group. He had learned to read and write while enslaved. After the war, he joined the Republican Party. He was a delegate at the 1868 South Carolina Constitutional Convention. People knew him for his great speaking skills. He also helped create Aiken County in 1871. He was one of three African Americans who founded it. He helped choose where the courthouse would be. He served as a state politician for the county until 1874. He also worked as a judge.

Early Life and Escape

Prince R. Rivers was born enslaved in Beaufort, South Carolina. He worked on a large farm called Oak Point or Pages Point. He was part of the household staff and drove carriages. This meant he had a special role among the enslaved people. He also learned to read and write, which was rare for enslaved people.

In 1862, he escaped slavery. His enslaver moved to another county. Rivers took one of his enslaver's horses. He rode through the Confederate lines to Beaufort. Union troops had taken control of Beaufort. Rivers then volunteered to join the Union Army. By the summer of 1862, many enslaved people had escaped. More than 10,000 had fled to Union lines along the coast.

Serving in the Union Army

In 1862, Union General David Hunter declared many enslaved people free. This included Rivers and their families. This decision was part of a law called the Confiscation Act of 1861. At first, General Hunter was not allowed to enlist former enslaved people. But they still served in "Hunter's Regiment" without pay for some time. Rivers later said he never regretted this choice.

In 1863, Rivers became an officer in the new 1st South Carolina Volunteers. This group was part of the United States Colored Troops. His leader, Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson, wanted to promote him. He wanted Rivers to become a higher-ranking officer. But he was stopped because Rivers was Black. Colonel Higginson wrote about Rivers in 1865. He said Rivers was a man of amazing ability. He even compared him to Toussaint Louverture, a famous leader.

When they joined the army, African American soldiers were promised equal pay. But under the Militia Act of 1862, they were paid less. They received less than half of what other soldiers earned. These soldiers and their supporters worked hard to change this. In June 1864, a new law gave them equal pay. They also received the money they were owed from before. Nearly 180,000 African Americans served in the war. They played a very important part in the Union's victory.

Reconstruction Era Politics

After the war, Rivers went back to the Edgefield District. He settled on a farm near Hamburg. Hamburg became a town where most people were Black. It was a lively community. Rivers joined the Republican Party. He became very active in state politics. He was known as a great speaker and writer. In 1867, he worked as a registrar for Edgefield County. He was a delegate from Edgefield at the South Carolina Constitutional Convention in 1868.

Rivers was elected as a state politician. He later became a trial judge. He was deeply involved in the politics of the Reconstruction era. He was one of three African Americans who helped create Aiken County. The state government established Aiken County in 1871. Rivers helped choose the location for the county courthouse. After new districts were drawn in 1872, Rivers represented the new Aiken County. He also served as mayor, county coroner, and justice of the peace. These were local jobs that Black people could now hold.

In 1876, Prince Rivers was a judge in a hearing in Hamburg. This hearing was about an event on July 4th. White farmers said an all-Black National Guard unit blocked a street during their parade. Over 100 armed white men from groups called Red Shirts came to the hearing. The farmers' lawyer demanded that the Black militia give up their weapons. Rivers tried to get the local Guard militia to give up their weapons. He also tried to get the white groups to calm down. But his efforts did not work.

The Black freedmen went to the armory to protect themselves. They fought off an attack by the white groups. One white man died. The freedmen tried to escape when they saw the white groups bring a cannon. Two Black men were killed on the street. The white groups captured about 25 freedmen who left the armory. Later that night, they murdered four of them. They also wounded seven other Black men. This event is known as the Hamburg massacre.

After this event, Rivers' home was burned. His property was stolen or destroyed by the Red Shirts. Violence continued for weeks. White groups tried to stop Black people from voting in the Upland counties. In September, many Black people were killed in Ellenton. In 1876, the Democratic Party took control of the state government. This election had a lot of cheating. A national agreement led to federal troops leaving the South. This officially ended Reconstruction.

In South Carolina, white Democrats passed laws to create segregation. These were called "Jim Crow" laws. They also continued violence during elections. However, an African American named George Henry White was elected to the U.S. Congress in the 1890s. In 1895, the Democrats passed a new state constitution. This constitution made it very hard for Black people to vote. After white leaders took control, Rivers worked as a house painter and coachman. He continued these jobs until he died at age 65.