A Short History of Reconstruction [Updated Edition]

From the “preeminent historian of Reconstruction” (New York Times Book Review), an updated abridged edition of Reconstruction, the prize-winning classic work of Civil War history on the post-Civil War period which shaped modern America.

Reconstruction chronicles the way in which Americans—black and white—responded to the unprecedented changes unleashed by the war and the end of slavery, a pivotal era in African American history. It addresses the quest of emancipated slaves’ searching for economic autonomy and equal citizenship, and describes the remodeling of Southern society; the evolution of racial attitudes and patterns of race relations; and the emergence of a national state possessing vastly expanded authority and one committed, for a time, to the principle of equal rights for all Americans.

This “masterful treatment of one of the most complex periods of American history” (New Republic) remains the standard work on the wrenching post-Civil War period—an era of Southern history whose legacy still reverberates in the United States today.

Foner’s definitive account examines every facet of this transformative period in U.S. history:

The Centrality of the Black Experience: Follows the quest of emancipated slaves for economic autonomy and equal citizenship, treating them as active agents in the making of a new America. A Remodeled Southern Society: Investigates the evolution of racial attitudes, complex patterns of race relations, and the emergence of a new class structure from the ashes of the Old South. The Rise of the National State: Traces the emergence of a national government with vastly expanded authority, committed for a time to the principle of equal rights for all Americans. A Definitive Historical Account: Draws on the latest scholarship to overturn outdated interpretations and provide the standard work on one of the most complex and controversial eras of the American past.