The Civil war and Reconstruction period are significant eras in America’s history. The events of these periods have a constant impact on the white and African American communities. This essay analyses the happenings of the Reconstruction period through the Reconstruction film and their implications through Horwitz’s book, Confederates in the Attic.
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 11th, 1865, just two days after the end of the second civil war. The president’s death left Andrew Johnson, the vice president, as the head of state. Although Lincoln had appointed Johnson, his views on Reconstruction were vastly different from the former president’s moderate ideas. During the reconstruction period, democrats consisted of white supremacists. Johnson was no exception. Therefore, Johnson used his presidency to implement the “presidential reconstruction” of 1865 to 1866. The president believed that white southerners had the right to decide the course that was most suitable for the region. In May 1865, Johnson pardoned all southerners except confederate leaders or wealthy planters, authorizing them to create a new government. Unlike Lincoln, Johnson opposed black people’s rights and created the Black Codes legislation that limited African American rights. Although freedmen, these former slaves could not own land or have any civil rights (Reconstruction; Part1, 00:20:38).
Radical Republicans believed in labor-free economies. They also wanted the civil war to end slavery, especially in the South, since the southern agrarian economy depended on slavery. They were called radical and marginalized because they showed significant support for blacks. These Republicans, therefore, contended that southern slavery rendered the region’s economy ineffective. They also believed that African Americans deserved immediate freedom from bondage (Reconstruction; Part 1, 00:35:00-00:36:00). Some of these radical Republicans indeed found that blacks and whites were equal, while others only wanted Republican support from the South. During the political battle of 1866, President Johnson accused radical Republicans of treason and usurpation as they fought for African-American rights (/Reconstruction; Part 1. 1: 08:00). The Radical Reconstruction of the south 1867-1877 majorly presented radical republican ideas on Reconstruction. For instance, these people believed that southern states had left the union and had to change (00:34:00). Others thought that the reconstruction period deserved a more extended duration while the majority believed in the civil, property, and educational rights of freedmen.
Tunis Campbell was one of the few learned black men during the Reconstruction. Sherman’s special field order granted freedmen abandoned lands of 400,000 acres from Georgia (Reconstruction; Part 1, 00:21:45). These African Americans needed a leader, and thus Campbell was sent to help them create a new, free home. Immediately after arrival in Georgia, St. Catherine’s Campbell noticed the terrible shape on the allocated lands and sent for eight number eleven ploughs, six cultivators, sweet potatoes, and marriage licenses for his people(00:24:46). Campbell’s character is very admirable as he took advantage of his religious nature and love or his people to rise in political power. Campbell also showed genuine concern for his people. He succeeded in creating his little government in St. Catherine’s, an action that made African Americans understand the concept of democracy. Further, the man gained the loyalty and admiration of the entire African American society. When he attained a position in the Georgian senate and was arrested by white supremacists, blacks left their lands with their weapons and fought for his release. They said “don’t touch our man”, a show of significant loyalty (Reconstruction; Part 2: 00:49:50). Campbell’s strength, resilience, love for his people, and affinity for their commitment are his most interesting and admirable traits.
The “Lost Cause” is the act of celebrating the “old south” and romanticizing it as a place of peace and equality. The lost cause was substantially a period where white southerners tried to cope with their losses during the civil war. These people lost approximately 18% of their men during the war. They, therefore, used the lost cause to build memorials, consecrate battlefields, and celebrate their Christian values (Reconstruction; Part 2: 00: 53: 32). The period also suggested that whites and blacks had always lived in harmony. In the second film, Southern men invited northerners into their region with promises of the utopic old South while Fan Butler struggles with understanding why blacks disobeyed and resented her.
Paramilitary white supremacists primarily caused the final collapse. Terror groups like the Ku Klux Klan used violence to force African Americans from exercising their rights (Reconstruction; Part 2: 00: 33:00- 00: 35.05). Abraham Colby, one of their victims, continued to campaign against clan violence even after receiving threats (Reconstruction; Part 2: 42: 43:00). Nonetheless, white supremacy groups all over southern states, such as the white league staged coups that led to the failure of Reconstruction.
Michael Westerman’s death is the central theme in Kentucky: Dying for Dixie, a chapter in Tony Horwitz’ book. Westerman was a red-flag, just out of high school and married to his high school sweetheart, Hanna. Five weeks after getting their twins, the couple had decided to go on a date in Nashville. Their trip was cut short by some black teenagers, led by Damien Darden, who felt angered by their alleged use of the word ‘nigger’ and their red-flag. Darden and his colleges chased Westerman’s car, and Freddie Morrow shot him. Westerman, however, died in the hospital (Horwitz, 101). The civil war and the reconstruction period played a significant role in Westerman’s death and Morrow’s sentence. Most whites in Kentucky believed in the Klan, a white supremacist, thus placing a wall between themselves and the blacks.
Michael Westerman, born of a red-flag family, believed in white supremacy. He also felt that blacks wanted to take all of the white people’s freedoms and, thus, needed to be stopped. Just like President Johnson and the Khan group, Westerman feared equality between these races. Freddie Morrow, on the other hand, faced a hard ad troubled life for being black. He, therefore, tried to cope by taking part in criminal activities but soon changed after moving to Kentucky. Morrow suffered as collateral damage due to a failed reconstruction period, thus symbolized black people’s anger against the still present racism in the U.S.
White southerners lost their power and lands during the reconstruction period. The Redborne’s saloon, centuries later, still shows anger towards blacks for their victory. Their flyers that show disdain for Martin Luther as they celebrate his birthday with a “Thank God for James Earl Ray” party (Horwitz, 94). The KKK recruitments also showed disdain for black men’s victory during the civil war as one of their rules is against “sleeping with a black man” (Horwitz, 104).
Horwitz’s story on Westerman’s death is significantly similar to the senseless murders during the Reconstruction period. Similarly, the current America faces the same problems, as verdicts on race often favor whites since our systems cling to the events of the Civil war. Westerman’s death was a result of anger and despair, as black Americans are often belittled by society. Both parties in the incident were in the wrong. In the reconstruction period, blacks and whites were also fighting a similar fight, a feat that led to many deaths. Americans should accept that both blacks and whites are a significant part of the country. Looking back at events in the Reconstruction period, it is evident that both parties, it is evident that all races want the same thing, safety, and power. Therefore, the government must render equal opportunities to both blacks and whites for them to realize these goals.