You said: "In the spring of 1865 the Confederacy lay in ruins and 4 million African Americans had been freed, including roughly 200,000 who had fought to restore the Union and end slavery."
Not all of the African Americans who fought for the Union were former slaves, although a majority were. Some had always been free, including most members of the famous 54th Massachusetts. I remember an article on the 54th saying that some members of the regiment came from families all of whose members had been free for generations by the time of the Civil War.
You are absolutely right. I should have been clearer. The 54th MVI was composed mainly of free Blacks raised in the North, though there were some who had escaped slavery. Relatively few recruits actually came from Massachusetts.
As a mere consumer of history, I assumed that McPherson's Ordeal by Fire was as authoritative as Battle Cry of Freedom. Do the books you list supersede ObyF for the general reader, and if so could you recommend one to read first?
BTW, about the depiction of Reconstruction in popular culture, I remember quite a lot of Roots concerned Reconstruction. Is it ever reshown on US TV?
Also BTW, is it fair to describe Little Rock 1957 as belated Reconstruction?
I believe Ordeal by Fire came before Battle Cry and was intended as a traditional textbook. I still think Battle Cry is a great place to start if you are looking for a solid overview of the Civil War era. I also like Allen Guelzo's book Fateful Lightning.
A remake of ROOTS aired a couple years ago, which I thought was pretty good, but I haven't seen the original on network television in quite some time. Matthew Delmont has a really good book about it if interested.
The Civil Rights Era certainly has its roots in Reconstruction, but I am not sure we gain much by referring to Little Rock as "belated Reconstruction." Historian Peniel Joseph just published a new book titiled The Third Reconstruction, which I have yet to read.
I was an adjunct for many years teaching American history to college students. This is a very good article on an important topic. One thing I would like to add is the popular conception of Ulysses S. Grant, which was often what was taught in school. Grant was in reality an able soldier and an effective general. He did drink, but no more than others of his time. He was the only president to support reconstruction and after his presidency ended in 1877 the South went into the Jim Crow era, only to begin to emerge in the 1960's. The myth of the southern "Lost Cause" had reigned supreme for decades by the 1960's, and still fills a place in popular culture. It is still an important topic.
Kevin,
You said: "In the spring of 1865 the Confederacy lay in ruins and 4 million African Americans had been freed, including roughly 200,000 who had fought to restore the Union and end slavery."
Not all of the African Americans who fought for the Union were former slaves, although a majority were. Some had always been free, including most members of the famous 54th Massachusetts. I remember an article on the 54th saying that some members of the regiment came from families all of whose members had been free for generations by the time of the Civil War.
You are absolutely right. I should have been clearer. The 54th MVI was composed mainly of free Blacks raised in the North, though there were some who had escaped slavery. Relatively few recruits actually came from Massachusetts.
As a mere consumer of history, I assumed that McPherson's Ordeal by Fire was as authoritative as Battle Cry of Freedom. Do the books you list supersede ObyF for the general reader, and if so could you recommend one to read first?
BTW, about the depiction of Reconstruction in popular culture, I remember quite a lot of Roots concerned Reconstruction. Is it ever reshown on US TV?
Also BTW, is it fair to describe Little Rock 1957 as belated Reconstruction?
I believe Ordeal by Fire came before Battle Cry and was intended as a traditional textbook. I still think Battle Cry is a great place to start if you are looking for a solid overview of the Civil War era. I also like Allen Guelzo's book Fateful Lightning.
A remake of ROOTS aired a couple years ago, which I thought was pretty good, but I haven't seen the original on network television in quite some time. Matthew Delmont has a really good book about it if interested.
The Civil Rights Era certainly has its roots in Reconstruction, but I am not sure we gain much by referring to Little Rock as "belated Reconstruction." Historian Peniel Joseph just published a new book titiled The Third Reconstruction, which I have yet to read.
Thank you for another thought provoking blog post. I now have four more open tabs. That is my definition of an educator.
You are very welcome. Thanks for reading.
I was an adjunct for many years teaching American history to college students. This is a very good article on an important topic. One thing I would like to add is the popular conception of Ulysses S. Grant, which was often what was taught in school. Grant was in reality an able soldier and an effective general. He did drink, but no more than others of his time. He was the only president to support reconstruction and after his presidency ended in 1877 the South went into the Jim Crow era, only to begin to emerge in the 1960's. The myth of the southern "Lost Cause" had reigned supreme for decades by the 1960's, and still fills a place in popular culture. It is still an important topic.
Thanks for reading, Lewis. Appreciate the kind words.
Good advice. I have been studying Reconstruction for nine years and I still learn something new every week.
Thanks, Pat. Appreciate the feedback.
Well said, again.
As always, thanks for reading.