Between 1874 and 1890, Texas Democrats known as Redeemers dismantled Reconstruction reforms, adopted a fundamentally revised state constitution and steered Texas in a new direction. This book by historian Patrick G. Williams establishes that their constitution and policies affected the development of the state all the way to present times.

In his book, Williams offers a detailed study of how Democrats destroyed Reconstruction and established power in Texas. Williams also considers how the Redeemers' policies in the areas of economic development, public services and citizenship rights created long-lasting patterns that guided the state's development and governance. Their influence has proved pervasive and persistent.

As a Southern state, Texas had to address the consequences of emancipation, black enfranchisement and the spread of cotton cultivation. What set Texas apart from much of the South was ethnic diversity, a post-Civil War population boom, undeveloped land lacking infrastructure and public lands under the state's control.

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