Reconstruction

A Concise History

De: Allen C. Guelzo

Narrado por: Bob Souer

The era known as Reconstruction is one of the unhappiest times in American history. It succeeded in reuniting the nation politically after the Civil War but in little else. Conflict shifted from the battlefield to the Capitol as Congress warred with President Andrew Johnson over just what to do with the South. Johnson's plan of Presidential Reconstruction, which was sympathetic to the former Confederacy, would ultimately lead to his impeachment and the institution of Radical Reconstruction.   

While Reconstruction saw the ratification of the 14th and 15th Amendments, expanding the rights and suffrage of African Americans, it largely failed to chart a progressive course for race relations after the abolition of slavery and the rise of Jim Crow. It also struggled to manage the Southern resistance towards a Northern free-labor economy. However, these failures cannot obscure a number of accomplishments with long-term consequences for American life, among them the Civil Rights Act, the election of the first African American representatives to Congress, and the avoidance of renewed civil war. Reconstruction suffered from poor leadership and uncertainty of direction, but it also laid the groundwork for renewed struggles for racial equality during the civil rights movement.

©2018 Oxford University Press (P)2018 Tantor

Excellent learning

I graduated high school 50 years ago. I wish this book had been available back then. I am a more educated person from having “read” it.

Succinct

Well written. Well narrated. I continue to be struck by the story of reconstruction. The obvious solution would have been the creation of a “sanctuary state” where the land, police power, and government was in the hands of the freedmen.

A Hard Listen

It’s not the writing or the reading that make this slender volume a hard listen – both are superb. It’s the story they tell. As Professor Guelzo says, Reconstruction is our nation’s great lost opportunity.

In a brisk, well-organized narrative he outlines the factors that precipitated that loss: from racism (north and south) to intransigent rebels to vengeful northern politicians to the massive physical and economic devastation visited by the war to unprecedented political and Constitutional questions that defied even the most sincere efforts at resolution. This is a great place to start to understand our post-Civil War story.

Great concise history of Reconstruction

Great concise history of Reconstruction from Guelzo.

Souer is a great reader, but the audio editors didn't cut the breaths, etc. It's noticeable throughout, but not too distracting.

Highly recommend.

Concise overview

This is obviously a concise overview of Reconstruction—it’s conception, fight for survival, and ultimate demise. It covers many of the key facts about this confounding effort, eg, the attempt to oversee the resumption of statehood by rebellious southern states and to ensure the safety and well being of freed Blacks.