HIST 119: The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877
Lecture 24 - Retreat from Reconstruction: The Grant Era and Paths to "Southern Redemption". This lecture opens with a discussion of the myriad moments at which historians have declared an "end" to Reconstruction, before shifting to
the myth and reality of "Carpetbag rule" in the Reconstruction South. Popularized by Lost Cause apologists and biased historians, this myth suggests that the southern governments of the Reconstruction era were dominated by unscrupulous and
criminal Yankees who relied on the ignorant black vote to rob and despoil the innocent South. The reality, of course, diverges widely from this image. Among other accomplishments, the Radical state governments that came into existence
after 1868 made important gains in African-American rights and public education. Professor Blight closes the lecture with the passage of the 15th Amendment, the waning radicalism of the Republican party after 1870, and the rise of
white political terrorism across the South. (from oyc.yale.edu)
Lecture 24 - Retreat from Reconstruction: The Grant Era and Paths to "Southern Redemption"
Time
Lecture Chapters
[00:00:00]
1. Introduction: Peace Among Whites? End of Reconstruction?
[00:05:05]
2. Freedmen's Desires for Socioeconomic and Political Mobility
[00:17:23]
3. The Myth of the "Carpetbag Rule"
[00:29:53]
4. The Lasting Influences of the Carpetbaggers
[00:38:51]
5. The Passing of the 15th Amendment and Waning of Republican Radicalism
[00:48:07]
6. The Growing White Supremacist Violence and Conclusion