Fireside History 1876

Four months after Election Day 1876, the presidency is still in doubt. With militias gathering and the country teetering on the brink of war, white southerners and allies of Presidential hopeful Rutherford Hayes reach a deal: the presidency for control of the South. But what will it mean for 4 million formerly enslaved people and the prospects of a multiracial democracy? How will the failure of Reconstruction shape the future of the country? And what does it tell us about the path to progress today?

The story of Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox in 1865 is a cherished part of our national myth. War-weary soldiers lay down their arms and embrace as brothers. But is the war really over? The Union has survived and slavery has been abolished, but what will come next? What will freedom really mean? What role will the federal government play in protecting that freedom? The fight over these questions is just beginning, and the battle lines - in DC and across the country - are forming.

With Lee’s surrender, the country can imagine for the first time what a true, multiracial democracy might look like. Across the country, people work to push America closer to its founding ideals. Laws are passed abolishing slavery, guaranteeing equal protection before the law, granting Black men the right to vote, and banning segregation. Black people acquire land, establish schools, and form churches. There are Black congressmen and Black senators and even a Black Governor. There is hope and progress and a sense of possibility.

As Black communities are springing to life, a powerful force is rising to return the south to an age of white rule. The Ku Klux Klan is established in 1865 and other white terrorist groups soon follow suit. The Lost Cause mythology is born, providing white southerners with a unifying (if inaccurate) narrative and a new vision to rally around: a white-rule south. They advance this vision through violence, propaganda, and voter suppression.

The white south’s war against Reconstruction has left the north with a choice: double-down on protecting the rights of formerly enslaved people or abandon the project. With the future of Reconstruction in the balance, the country spends four months awaiting the results of a bitterly contested election. Militia form, Governors discuss using national guard troops to overpower the army, and Congressmen begin carrying pistols for protection. A makeshift bipartisan commission is formed, but it only sort of works. Many prepare for a second Civil War. An eleventh hour deal saves the Union but results in a major retreat on Reconstruction.

In the decades following 1876, the white south moves to solidify their power. They enact laws that restrict voting, segregate society, and usher in Jim Crow. Supporting these efforts is a concerted effort to rewrite the history of the war and Reconstruction. Textbook committees, Confederate statues, and mainstream books and movies warp the country’s understanding of the era. Revisionist histories are embedded into academia and enshrined in law. They perpetuate racist tropes, incite violence, and lead to white supremacist movements around the world.