ProfessorDavidBlight:
ReconstructionisthatperiodofAmericanhistorythatIthinkstill--Iknowstill--isshort-shriftedinthewayspeopletendtolearnAmericanhistoryinthissociety,forwhateverthereasons.Partofthereasonmaybethatit'smessyandcomplicated,andpartofthereasonmaybethatit'sfullofviolence,andpartofthereasonmaybethatit'sjustnotaseasytofindgoodheroes,andpartofthereasonmaybethatitcomesaftersuchatotal,allout,andsomemaysay,insomanywaysagloriouswar.OrasKennethStampp,agreathistorian,onceputit,until1865therewasgloryenoughtogoaround,butafter1865wherewastheglory?
It'salsobeenaperiodinwhichwe'vealmostinsisted--andIwonderjusthowyouhavelearnedaboutthisbefore;ifthiswereasmallerclassIwouldaskyou--butit'sasthoughourculturestillinsists,fromthisperiodofourhistory,thatitbeamelodrama,somekindofmelodramawith,well,asufficientnumberofheroesandasufficientnumberofvillains,andamelodramathatusuallyendsupwithastoryofanoppressedSouth,muchinneedofoursympathy.
Now,I'veputapieceofwordsuphereinfrontofyou.Iwalkedbacktoseeifyoucouldreadit.Idothinkmostofyouintheroomcanreadit.Justholdontothepapersuntiltheend,please.ThisistheThirteenthAmendment.We'regoingtolookattheThirteenthandtheFourteenthtoday,oratleastI'llgetyouuptotheFourteenthAmendment.IftheCivilWarandReconstructionwereasecondfounding--andI'llputthe"if"onthat,althoughforthenextthreeweeksI'mgoingtoarguethat--ifitwasasecondfounding,asecondrevolutionofsomekind,thatsecondfoundingisintheThirteenth,theFourteenth,theFifteenthAmendmentstotheConstitution.ReadtheThirteenthwithme.It'sthesimplest,shortest--otherthantheactualpartsoftheBillofRights--it'sthesimplest,shortestamendmentintheU.S.Constitution.Itoutlawsslaveryandinvoluntaryservitude,exceptforimprisonmentforcrime.Andthenithasthatvery,verysimpleSectionTwo:
"Congressshallhavepowertoenforcethisarticlebyappropriatelegislation.Thatisalmost,insomeways,aprécisforwhatReconstructionwillbecome.Whatwillconstituteappropriatelegislationtoenforceblackfreedom?
Iputituptodayinpart,too,becausejustthisweekendIwasoutlecturinginSpringfield,IllinoisatthenewAbrahamLincolnPresidentialLibrary;andit'samagnificentplaceifyouhaven'tbeenthere.It'samuseumfulloflotsofwaxfigures.There'satleastonelifesizewaxofLincolnineverybloodyroom,sometimestwoofthem,andthentheyusehologramsandheappearsallovertheplace.It'salittleweirdandscary.ButattheendofthewholedayandeveningtheytookmedowninthevaultandaskedmeifIwantedtoseesomespecialdocumentsandspecialpossessions.TheyshowedmeoneofLincoln'sthreeexistingtophats,theyshowedmethecastofhishand;Igottotouch.TheyshowedmepersonalnoteshewrotetopardondesertersfromtheUnionArmy.Theyshowedmeallkindsofthings.Butoneofthethingstheyshowedmewastheoriginaldraft,thehandwrittendraftbytheclerkoftheHouseofRepresentatives,oftheThirteenthAmendment,andthensignedby"A.Lincoln"andmostofthemembersoftheHouse,atleastthosewhochosetosignit.AndIrealized,"damn,thatthingisreal."AndmaybesomedayIcanlivetoseetheFourteenthAmendment.BacktotheFourteenthinamoment.Sorryaboutthat,that'snottheFourteenthAmendment,that'sjusttheoutline.
Now,afewoverallthoughtsonReconstruction,tojustgiveyousomehookstohangyourhatonbeforewelookbackagainatthisquestionofReconstructionduringthewar,andthenafterLincoln'sdeaththefightthatensues,quickly,betweenthenewpresident,AndrewJohnson,andtheCongressionalleadershipthattheRepublicanParty--soonnowtobeknownastheRadicalRepublicans--andwhatwillbecomeagreatconstitutionalcrisisoverwhowillcontrolReconstructionandwhatReconstructionwillbe.Reconstruction,though,isoftenseen--itisindeedaneraofalmostgargantuanaspirations,ifyouthinkaboutwhattheyweretryingtoachieve,andtragicfailures.Butit'salsoaneraofsuddenandunprecedentedlegal,political,andconstitutionalchange.It'salsoaperiodoftremendoussocialandpoliticalviolence.We'veneverexperiencedanythinginAmerica--otherthansanctionedwar,whichtheCivilWarofcoursehadbeen--we'venever,everexperiencedsocialandpoliticalviolenceonthescalewhichyou'llseeinReconstruction.Infactthere'sawholebatchofbookscomingoutnowonReconstructionviolence,andIsuspectthishasalottodowithlivingintheageofterrorism;publishersarereallypromotingthesubject.You'rereadingoneofthemthat'sjustbeenoutayearortwobyNicholasLemanncalledRedemption.Moreonthatinaweekortwo.
Inanotherway,Reconstructionwasonelong,ten,elevenyearagonizingreferendumonthemeaningofthewar.Whathadthewarmeant?
That'swhatReconstructionwastryingtoexplain,tryingtosettle,tryingtocodify.WhathadactuallybeentheverdictatAppomattox?
WhenLeesurrenderedandthenJohnstonsurrenderedandtheConfederateArmysurrendered,whatwastheverdict?
Whogottodetermineit?
Whohadreallywonthewar,andwhathadtheywon?
Whatcausehadlost?
Now,someonereallywonthiswarandsomeonereallylostthiswar.Thisisnotoneofthosewarswhereyoucansay,"Youknow,nobodyeverwinsawar."Nonsense.Unionvictoryisreal,Confederatedefeatwasvirtuallytotal,inamilitarysense.ButwhatwastheSouthtolose?
OneofthegreatestchallengesofReconstructionwastodeterminehowyoutakethismassive,nationalbloodfeud,ofunimaginablescalethat'sbeginning,andthenreconcileitintoanewnation?
Theproblem,inpart,isthatthesurvivorsonbothsidesinthiswarwouldstillhavetoinhabitthesamelandandthesamecountry.Itwasn'tasthoughanactualforeigncountryhadbeenconqueredanddefeated.ItwaspartofNorthAmerica,itwaspartoftheU.S.--orsoontobeNewU.S.ofsomekind.Andthesidethatlostisgoingtohavetointimeinhabitthesamegovernment.How?
Wheredoyougoinprecedent?
Wheredoyouinhistory?
WheredoyougointheConstitution?
Wheredoyoulookthisup,toputHumptyDumptybacktogetheragain?
Putanotherway,thetaskwashowtomaketheeventuallogicofsectionalreconciliation--knittingNorthandSouthbacktogether--howtomaketheeventuallogicofsectionalreconciliationsomehowcompatiblewiththelogicofthatrevolutionthatwasputinplacein1863--orinotherwords,Emancipation?
Andbylogic,ImeanyouhavetoputNorthandSouthbacktogether,butyoualsonowhavetodealwiththefacttheslaveshavebeenfreedtosomenewstatus.Gottodoboth.Putanotherway,howdoyousquareblackfreedomandallthestirringsof--thepossibilityatleast--ofracialequalitynowwiththatcause,intheSouth,thathadlosteverything--exceptitsfaithinwhitesupremacy?
Howdoyoufoldblackfreedomintowhitesupremacy?
Howdoyoufoldwhitesupremacyintoblackfreedom?
Cantheyeverbe--couldthoseeverbereconciled?
Andwhatiftheycan't?
LincolnspokeofatestingintheGettysburgAddress--ifyourememberthefamousspeech--testingwhetherthatnationoranynationsoconceivedcouldlongendure.ThetestingofthewarinsomewayswouldbecomeeasierthanthetestingthecountrywouldnowfacewithReconstruction.Orfinallyputyetanotherway--andIwroteaboutthisattoomuchlengthinabookcalledRaceandReunion--thechallengeofReconstruction,andit'sthechallengewe'vehadeversince,ishowdoyoudotwoprofoundthingsatthesametime?
Onewashealingandtheotherwasjustice.Howdoyouhavethemboth?
Whattrulyconstituteshealingofapeople,ofanation,that'ssufferedthisscaleofviolenceanddestruction,andhowdoyouhavejustice?
Andjusticeforwhom?
Here'swhatLincolnsaid,next-to-the-lastdayofhislife;no,threedaysbeforehewasshot.Itwashislastpublicutterance,fromabalconyattheWhiteHouse.HewasdiscussingReconstruction.Hisaudiencethatdaywantedtojusthearaboutthegloriesoftheendingofthewar,andhegavethemalittleminilectureonReconstructionbecauseit'spreciselywhathewasdealingwith.Hesaidthis:
"Reconstructionispressedmuchmorecloselyuponourattentionnow.Itisfraughtwithgreatdifficulty.Unlikethecaseofawarbetweenindependentnations,thereisnoauthorizedorganforustotreatwith.Noonemanhasauthoritytogiveuptherebellionforanyotherman.Wesimplymustbeginwith,andmoldfrom,disorganizedanddiscordantelements,withall.Sonewandunprecedentedisthewholecasethatnoexclusiveandinflexibleplancansafelybeprescribedastodetail,butimportantprinciplesmustbeinflexible."That'sclassicLincoln."Nooneplanmustwenecessarilycommitto,butwemuststicktosomeprinciples."It'sLincolnthepragmatisttryingtofigureitout.Andthenhe'sdead.
Butbacktowartime,atleastforafewminutes.ThedebateoverReconstruction,asitwillplayoutthroughthenextthreeyears,fouryears,reallyfiveyears,upto1870/71,isthedebatethatensuedbetweenLincolnandhisownpartyleadershipinCongress,asearlyaslate1863.Here'sLincoln'splanagain,andyoucanreadallofthisinFoner'sShortHistoryofReconstruction,butletmegiveittoyouatleastinbriefterms.You'llrememberIsaidtheotherdaythatLincolnwantedReconstructiontobepresidential,lenient,andquick.HewasopenlyfriendlytoSoutherners
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