On this date in 1870, Governor William Woods Holden of North Carolina declared Caswell County in a state of insurrection due to violent resistance against Reconstruction efforts.
This action was part of what became known as the Kirk-Holden War, a response to the activities of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups terrorizing Black citizens and Republican officials. Governor Holden deployed Colonel George W. Kirk and his militia to suppress the unrest, leading to the arrest of several individuals.
However, Holden’s actions were controversial, and after Democrats regained control of the state legislature, he was impeached and removed from office in 1871—making him the first U.S. governor to be removed through impeachment.
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