Title: The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution
Author: Eric Foner
First published September 17, 2019
224 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780393652574 (ISBN10: 0393652572)
Rating: 4.23
Overview
Eric Foner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution, is an authoritative account of how the United States’ Constitution was rebuilt to enshrine the ideal of equality. Despite the Declaration of Independence announcing equality as an American ideal, it took the Civil War and three constitutional amendments to make it a law.
The abolition of slavery, due process, and the equal protection of the law were guaranteed, and black men were given the right to vote. Eric Foner’s insightful history delves into the dramatic origins of these revolutionary amendments and the court decisions that followed.
Today, issues like birthright citizenship, voting rights, due process, and equal protection continue to be debated, with the ideal of equality still far from being achieved.
About the Author
Eric Foner, a professor of history at Columbia University, has dedicated his teaching and research to exploring key aspects of American history. His areas of expertise include the Civil War and Reconstruction, slavery, and the nineteenth century.
Foner earned his B.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia, where he now holds the DeWitt Clinton Professorship.
Foner’s work has been widely recognized and celebrated. His book Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877 is considered the definitive history of the period and has won several prestigious awards, including the Bancroft, Parkman, and Los Angeles Times Book prizes.
His most recent book, The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery, was published in 2010.
In addition to his scholarly accomplishments, Foner has also been recognized for his excellence in teaching. In 2006, he received the Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching at Columbia University.
Foner has also held leadership positions in several professional organizations, including the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association, and the Society of American Historians.
Editoral Review
In “The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution,” renowned historian Eric Foner offers a compelling analysis of the political and legal changes that followed the American Civil War. First published in September 2019, the book examines the complex interplay between constitutional amendments, court rulings, and social movements that shaped the fate of citizenship, race, and democracy in the United States.
As a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and professor at Columbia University, Foner is a leading authority on the history of slavery, abolition, and Reconstruction. His previous works, such as “Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877,” have established him as a masterful storyteller who combines scholarly rigor with literary flair.
“The Second Founding” is no exception, as Foner expertly navigates the legal and political complexities of the post-Civil War era while keeping the reader engaged with vivid anecdotes and insightful analysis. In terms of plot, “The Second Founding” covers a wide range of historical events, from the Emancipation Proclamation and the adoption of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, to the rise of Jim Crow segregation and the Supreme Court’s infamous Plessy v.
Ferguson decision. Foner also highlights the pivotal role of African American activists and their allies, such as Frederick Douglass, Thaddeus Stevens, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in shaping the contours of constitutional law and social justice.
What sets “The Second Founding” apart, however, is not only its historical scope and depth, but also its relevance to contemporary debates about citizenship, voting rights, and racial justice. Foner explicitly connects the struggles of the Reconstruction era to current challenges facing American democracy, noting that “the values of freedom and equality embodied in the Second Founding remain contested ideals, subject to constant reinterpretation and renegotiation.”
In terms of critical analysis, “The Second Founding” is a tour de force.
Foner synthesizes a vast array of sources and scholarship into a coherent narrative that sheds new light on familiar topics while also challenging conventional wisdom. He skillfully interweaves legal analysis, political commentary, and personal stories to create a nuanced and compelling portrait of a pivotal era in American history.
One of the book’s strengths is its attention to the diversity of perspectives and experiences of the people who shaped Reconstruction. Foner deftly navigates the complex relationship between federal power and local resistance, showing how the conflicting visions of Reconstruction played out in different regions and communities.
He also pays close attention to the intersections of race, class, gender, and nationality, illuminating the ways in which different social groups participated in and were affected by the unfolding drama of Reconstruction. Another notable aspect of “The Second Founding” is Foner’s willingness to challenge conventional assumptions and reexamine familiar sources.
For example, he concludes that the infamous Dred Scott decision, often seen as a key precursor to the Civil War, was not as radical as many historians have argued, and that its impact on subsequent legal and political developments has been overstated. Similarly, he questions the standard interpretation of the 15th Amendment as a triumph of voting rights, arguing that its limitations and loopholes were more significant than its nominal guarantees.
If there is a weakness to “The Second Founding,” it is perhaps the overwhelming amount of detail and complexity that Foner presents. While his ability to synthesize and contextualize information is impressive, at times the book can feel dense and encyclopedic, and some readers may find themselves struggling to keep track of the various legal cases, party platforms, and social movements that he covers.
Overall, however, “The Second Founding” is a must-read for anyone interested in American history, politics, or law. Foner’s insights and analysis will challenge readers to think more deeply about the ongoing struggle to fulfill the promises of freedom and equality that have animated American democracy since its founding.
For its strengths in historical rigor, narrative pacing, and relevance to current events, we give “The Second Founding” a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
