Author: Patrick Young
Albert Parsons: Confederate Veteran as Supporter of Black Rights, Miscegenist, and Labor Radical
Not all returning Confederate veterans had the same experiences or attitudes after the Civil War. Albert Parsons is one of the best known radicals of…
Nathan Bedford Forrest Day in Tennessee Honors Founder of Ku Klux Klan
On July 13, 2019 the governor of Tennessee issued a proclamation observing Nathan Bedford Forrest Day. Forrest was reputedly the first Grand Dragon and commander…
New Play on the 14th Amendment at National Constitution Center in Philly
The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia commissioned a one act play about the 14th Amendment. The half hour play is presented in conjunction with its…
Eyewitness Account of the Joyous First 4th of July Celebration in Raleigh NC since Fort Sumter: A Contrast in Black and White
The end of the Civil War was a joyous time for many Southerners who were able to once again openly celebrate the national Independance Day,…
Carl Schurz Warned That a “System of Terrorism” Was Taking Hold in the Post-War South in 1865
Carl Schurz arrived in South Carolina in the middle of July, 1865. He had been sent by new president Andrew Johnson to investigate the condition…
German General Carl Schurz Begins His Investigation of the Post-War South
Union General Carl Schurz began his inspection tour of the South just a month after the last Confederate forces surrendered. Schurz, a German refugee, embarked…
Eric Foner on the Impact of the Dunning School on the Understanding of Reconstruction: Videos
Historian Eric Foner’s course on Reconstruction was videoed a few years ago and posted on-line. These segments look at the influence of the Dunning School…
William Dunning Explains the Restoration of Peace (and White Supremacy) in 1877 When Reconstruction Collapsed
This is the final installment of a four-part series on historian William Dunning. While the recent rise of the so-called Alt-Right has been a sad…
Reading William Dunning, Founder of the Dunning School: A Deep Dive Into Scholarly Supremacism
While William Dunning is often discussed in Reconstruction Era Studies, he is little read today except by academic historians and Neo-Confederates. I think that it…
Who the Hell Is William Dunning? The Man Behind the Distortion of Reconstruction
During the first half of the 20th Century William Dunning of Columbia University was the seminal figure in the study of the Reconstruction Era. Dunning,…