Capsule review: Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877 (Eric Foner)
The inability to plan for the consequences of a war and what to do with the conquered ; the haste to move on to the business of America, business ; a childish faith in free market and free labor ideology ; the prerogatives of Capital when challenged by Labor sweeping all other concerns away ; and, of course, ineradicable white supremacy, violently enforced. Quintessential America.
Like many historians, Foner sometimes spends too much space on the details of political horse-trading and backroom deals, but he is otherwise excellent when focusing on the ground-level social realities of the period.
Rating: ★★★★☆