24. Retreat from Reconstruction: The Grant Era and Paths to "Southern Redemption"

The Civil War and Reconstruction (HIST 119)

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.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Introduction: Peace Among Whites? End of Reconstruction?
05:05 - Chapter 2. Freedmen's Desires for Socioeconomic and Political Mobility
17:23 - Chapter 3. The Myth of the "Carpetbag Rule"
29:53 - Chapter 4. The Lasting Influences of the Carpetbaggers
38:51 - Chapter 5. The Passing of the 15th Amendment and Waning of Republican Radicalism
48:07 - Chapter 6. The Growing White Supremacist Violence and Conclusion

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Spring 2008.