David W. Blight's Race and Reunion is highly acclaimed for its thorough examination of Civil War memory and the politics of reconciliation. Reviewers praise its deep research and compelling narrative. Though some find it dense and repetitive, the consensus highlights Blight's critical insights into historical memory and race relations, making it a pivotal scholarly work.

Readers interested in the Civil War, Reconstruction, and American memory will appreciate David W. Blight's Race and Reunion. Those who enjoyed Eric Foner's Reconstruction or James McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom will find similar in-depth analysis and engaging narrative in Blight's work.

Race and Reunion by David W. Blight explores the competing themes of racial equality and sectional reunion in the 50 years following the Civil War, using firsthand accounts to contrast emancipationist views with reconciliationist and white supremacist memories. Blight details how Southern narratives, such as the "Lost Cause," were adopted and how this influenced historical memory, ultimately leading to the suppression of Black civil rights and the rise of white supremacist ideologies.

Informative / Contemplative / Melancholic

- Race and Reunion by David W. Blight challenges the idea that the Civil War ended in reconciliation by highlighting how different groups remembered the war and dealt with its legacy.
- The book won the 2001 Frederick Douglass Prize, awarded for the most outstanding book on slavery or abolition.
- David W. Blight, an accomplished historian, utilized extensive archival research to explore the national memory surrounding the Civil War and how it was shaped in the post-war period.

**ABRAHAM LINCOLN**  
A Republican president who led the US during the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation. He was assassinated in 1865 soon after the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment.

**ALBION W. TOURGÉE**  
A Union veteran and writer known for critiquing the romanticized views of the South in post-Civil War literature. He maintained an emancipationist perspective on the war's legacy.

**BOOKER T. WASHINGTON**  
An African American academic and orator who promoted reconciliation and mutual economic interests between former slaves and masters. He faced criticism for his conciliatory stance towards racial progress.

**FREDERICK DOUGLASS**  
An influential abolitionist and former enslaved person who opposed reconciliationist views and emphasized the ideological roots of the Civil War. He was a vocal critic of sentimental narratives about the war.

**HORACE GREELEY**  
A politician and newspaper editor who advocated for reconciliation and citizenship for Black Americans. He moderated his abolitionist stance while running for president as a Liberal Republican.

**IDA B. WELLS**  
A Black journalist and civil rights advocate who exposed the epidemic of lynching and countered the notion that Black progress alone would achieve reconciliation. She challenged complacency in national racial matters.

**ULYSSES S. GRANT**  
A Union general and conservative Republican president who marked the decline of Radical Republicanism. He authored a reconciliationist memoir before his death in 1885.

**W. E. B. DU BOIS**  
A Black American academic and civil rights activist who co-founded the NAACP. He critiqued Bookerism and was outspoken against racism and violence in the Jim Crow South.

**WOODROW WILSON**  
A Democratic president known for his reconciliationist rhetoric and implementation of federal segregation. His actions demonstrated the intertwining of white supremacy and reconciliationist policies.

David W. Blight

Adult

Book

Nonfiction

Guide

Study Guide

Before You Read

Explore Race and Reunion reviews, reading age recommendations, and essential genre and thematic details before you start reading.

Before You Read Race and Reunion | SuperSummary

title

content

Overview

Get ready to explore Race and Reunion and its meaning. Our full analysis and study guide provides an even deeper dive with character analysis and quotes explained to help you discover the complexity and beauty of this book.

Race and Reunion

Before You Read

Reviews & Readership

Review Roundup

Who Should Read Race and Reunion?

Reading Age

Book Details