Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877 by Eric Foner

Summary

The Civil War was a big deal.  Not only did it eliminate slavery in the United States and defeat the Confederate rebellion, but it also instituted an expansion of Federal power and patronage not seen again until the 20th Century.  Less understood by many are the implications for the period immediately following the Civil War: the Reconstruction of the Confederacy.

This involved rebuilding a society that had not only lost a devastating war, but finding a way to do that while assimilating newly freed slaves and freemen into the Southern economy and society.  Initially guided by President Johnson after Lincoln’s assassination, Reconstruction was eventually guided by Congress when it was clear Johnson would not stand up for the rights of the newly freed slaves.  When it was clear the process was beginning to politically cost Republicans in the North and South, there was a gradual abandonment that culminated in the Compromise of 1877.  This saw Rutherford B. Hayes promise non-interference in Southern affairs in exchange for support for his claim to the Presidency, setting back Civil Rights for almost a century.

Yet, this story does offer more to rejoice over than many think.  One part of Eric Foner’s narrative that’s missing from almost every other is a focus on the African American community as active participants in this process rather than passive recipients.  Newly freed slaves were well aware of what the death of slavery implied for them, and they fought for their rights and self-betterment.  Eventually gaining the right to vote and at least partial control over their own economic destinies, Reconstruction was a renaissance for freed slaves and poor white Union supporters throughout the South.  One part of Foner’s history that consistently surprised me was how freed slaves, free blacks, and their allies were consistently in a position to actually advocate for themselves and invest in their communities, and did so despite resistance.

Sadly, the reaction to this process is often the only impression people have of this era.  White organizations inflicting widespread racial and political violence were very real, but not altogether unopposed realities African Americans had to deal with on a daily basis.  African Americans found their own ways to resist, including migration North and West or fighting back, although neither were very successful.  There were bastions of safety where the Federal government would step in, but as these interventions became less popular in the North, African Americans were increasingly left to the mercy of local officials.

Why is this relevant? 

I would be lying if I said there weren’t parts of this book that made feel a bit uncomfortable.  There are a number of episodes and language that still disturbingly echo into today, despite the massive progress we’ve made towards a fair and just society.  Yet, Reconstruction was responsible for one of the great political shifts in American history: the general move of the Republican Party away from its radical roots in abolition towards a conservative worldview that was more concerned with property rights.  Unfortunately, there was nothing left to seriously fill the radical void, and African Americans paid the price.

Who should be reading this?

Students of politics, US history, and African American history should definitely give this book a read.  It has something for everybody, and its unique focus on African American agency in Reconstruction is something I have not found in other histories.  Reconstruction’s cautionary tale about the risks involved with massive social change legislation, regardless of its nobility, would be useful for anyone making that realm of policy.

Author Note:  For those of you not wanting to commit to a 600-page book, but would still like to learn more, there is also a much more manageable 320-page version available.  Obviously this version lacks much of the detail I liked in this version, but it’s still worth the read!

Note: Context Corner are brief reviews by the HPAR editorial board of the books they were reading or had read.

Reference