Title
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-1-2017
Department 1
Civil War Era Studies
Department 2
History
Abstract
There are no Reconstruction re-enactors. And who would want to be? Reconstruction is the disappointing epilogue to the American Civil War, a sort of Grimm fairy tale stepchild of the war and the ugly duckling of American history. Even Abraham Lincoln was uneasy at using the word “reconstruction”—he qualified it with add-ons like “what is called reconstruction” or “a plan of reconstruction (as the phrase goes)”—and preferred to speak of the “re-inauguration of the national authority” or the need to “re-inaugurate loyal state governments.” Unlike the drama of the war years, Reconstruction has no official starting or ending date. (excerpt)
Copyright Note
This is the publisher's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Guelzo, Allen. "Defending Reconstruction." Claremont Review of Books 17, no. 2 (Spring 2017). 77-81.
Required Publisher's Statement
Original version available online at http://www.claremont.org/crb/article/defending-reconstruction/