The A to Z of the Civil War and Reconstruction torrent

by William L. Richter

The importance of the Civil War and Reconstruction in the history of the United States cannot be overstated. There was a very real possibility that the union could have been sundered, resulting in a very different American history, and probably world history. But the union was held together by tough and determined leaders and by the economic muscle of the North.

Following the end of the war, the period of American history known as Reconstruction followed. This was a period construed in many different ways.

While the states were once again "united," many of the postwar efforts divided different segments of the population and failed to achieve their goals in an era too often remembered for carpetbaggers and scalawags, and Congressional imbroglios and incompetent government.

Genre: Non-Fiction / General | History