Eric Foner (born February 7, 1943) is an American historian. He writes extensively on American political history, the history of freedom, the early history of the Republican Party, African American biography, the American Civil War, Reconstruction, and historiography. Foner has published several books on the Reconstruction period.
Reconstruction
Reconstruction
Synopsis
A definitive account of Reconstruction—the period after the American Civil War when the defeated Southern states were reintegrated into the Union and millions of formerly enslaved people fought for citizenship, land, and political power. Eric Foner traces this era from its origins in wartime emancipation through Radical Republican legislation, Black suffrage, and the eventual collapse of these gains under Jim Crow. The book argues that Reconstruction was a genuine revolution in American democracy—one that succeeded in transforming the Constitution but failed to protect those it had just enfranchised.
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Edition
ReconstructionHardcover, 2005
713 pages
History Book ClubLanguage: EnglishISBN: 9780965727013This Edition was especially creat in 2005 for History Book Club edition5 editions available
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Frequently asked questions
Is Reconstruction by Eric Foner considered a definitive work on the era?
Eric Foner's Reconstruction is widely regarded as a landmark and highly influential study of the post-Civil War period, significantly shaping academic understanding of the era for decades. It is frequently cited and taught in university courses on American history.
Does this book focus more on political or social aspects of Reconstruction?
Foner's work integrates both political and social dimensions, providing a comprehensive analysis of the era's legislative battles, constitutional changes, and the profound social transformations experienced by formerly enslaved people and white Southerners. It particularly emphasizes the agency of African Americans during this period.
How does this book relate to other works by Eric Foner?
Reconstruction is a central work in Eric Foner's extensive scholarship on the Civil War era and its aftermath, building upon themes explored in his earlier writings on abolitionism and free labor ideology. It is often seen as a culmination of his research into the origins and consequences of the conflict.