Southern Reconstruction

Friday, September 20, 2024
1:00 PM EDT

 

Is Reconstruction more important to the understanding of the South than the War? An argument could be made for this position. Our perception of Southern history, Southern identity, the Southern tradition, and the South in American history was shaped by post-bellum events. Even the current pogrom against Southern symbols can be traced to the lasting legacy of Reconstruction. For years, historians described Reconstruction as a "tragic era", a stain on American history, a period of corruption, fraud, and waste. There were exceptions, largely based on the work of W.E.B. DuBois in the early 20th century, but to most Americans, Reconstruction was a shameful time of government abuse and military despotism.

That interpretation changed with the publication of Eric Foner's Reconstruction in 1988. Foner took DuBois seriously and turned the locus of attention back on black Southerners. Reconstruction became a missed opportunity for a "second revolution". Gone were the complex discussions of economics, politics, diplomacy, and social issues that dominated earlier studies. Foner focused exclusively on race and as a result argued that Republicans had not gone far enough in punishing the South. Democracy may have been thwarted by Reconstruction, but not because of martial law. To Foner, martial law was required to save "democracy."

Older comprehensive--and superior--studies of the period were pushed aside for the communist from New York. "The Dunning School" became a pejorative, E. Merton Coulter and Claude Bowers vanished from Reconstruction historiography, and anyone who challenged Foner's interpretation was labeled a "Lost Cause racist."

This is not history. It's activism.

Thankfully, there are voices who oppose this ahistorical purge. Philip Leigh and the Kennedy twins, James Ronald Kennedy and Walter Donald, have written punchy and well researched histories of the period. They deserve our attention.

Join us for a discussion of Reconstruction and its impact on modern American society.

Panelist:

Philip Leigh is an independent historian in Florida. He has written Southern Reconstruction, The Causes of the Civil War, U.S. Grant's Failed Presidency, and a series of War novels starting with Firepower.

James Ronald Kennedy and Walter Donald Kennedy are independent historians in Louisiana. They are the authors of the best-selling The South Was Right! along with Punished with Poverty and the recently published Reconstruction.

Schedule:

The event begins promptly at 1:00 PM Eastern on September 20, 2024

1:00-1:05: Introduction of panelist, Brion McClanahan

1:05-2:25: Presentations by Leigh and the Kennedys

2:25-3:00: Q&A moderated by Brion McClanahan

This event is limited to 500 participants AND REGISTRATION IS FREE. Tickets are limited to one per registrant. You will be provided a Zoom link following the checkout page. Please register immediately after purchasing your ticket. The Institute will still gladly accept donations if you choose to support our mission.

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