Ordeal of the Reunion: A New History of Reconstruction

Mark Wahlgren Summers' book "The Ordeal of the Reunion" goes beyond the struggles of the recently emancipated and focuses on Reconstruction's need to form an enduring Union without sacrificing federalism and republican democracy. He assesses the era nationally, emphasizing the variety of conservative strains that confined the scope of change, the war's impact, and the West and foreign policy. Summers argues that Reconstruction was a time of achievement and consolidation, in which nationhood and emancipation were placed beyond repeal, and the groundwork was laid for a stronger, if not better, America to come.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 528 pages
\n Publication date: 28 February 2021
\n Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
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For a generation, scholars have rightly focused on the struggles of the newly emancipated to achieve meaningful freedom and have defined the success or failure of Reconstruction largely in those terms. In his groundbreaking book, The Ordeal of the Reunion, Mark Wahlgren Summers takes this crucial inquiry to a new level, delving into the need for Reconstruction to forge an enduring Union while preserving the framework of federalism and republican democracy.

Assessing the era nationally, Summers highlights the diverse conservative strains that limited the scope of change, emphasizes the war's impact and its aftermath, and seamlessly integrates the West and foreign policy into a comprehensive narrative. In essence, this book offers a fresh perspective on Reconstruction's demise and presents a compelling case for its essential successes as well as its profound failures. Indeed, Summers' work demonstrates the extent to which the aims set by the victors in 1865 were achieved—and at what cost.

Through his vivid portrayal, Summers depicts not just a heroic, tragic moment where equal rights were advanced and then betrayed but a time of achievement and consolidation, where nationhood and emancipation were placed beyond repeal and the foundations were laid for a stronger, if not better, America to emerge. The Ordeal of the Reunion is a seminal work that sheds new light on Reconstruction and its enduring significance in shaping the course of American history.

\n Weight: 834g\n
Dimension: 156 x 234 x 36 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781469664071\n \n