Graphic of part of the Emancipation Proclamation
Rights and POwer: The POlitics of Reconstruction
Link to Part 1 of Section 4: Presidential Reconstruction Link to Part 2 of Section 4: Congress and Civil Rights Link to Part 3 of Section 4: The National Debate Over Reconstruction; IMpeachment; and the Election of Grant Link to Part 4 of Section 4: Reconstruction Government in the South Link to Biographies in Section 4

"Reconstruction of the South," c. 1870. (National Museum of American History)

"Reconstruction of the South," c. 1870. (National Museum of American History)

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An optimistic view of Reconstruction with Biblical overtones presents key elements of the Republican plan to remake the South along Northern lines: education, capital, and economic development.

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The central figure is George Peabody, whose philosophy supported Southern schools but opposed racial integration.

On either side are Union Army officers transforming military weapons into tools for agriculture.

In the background "300,000" mechanics, backed by northern capital, carry tools for the "Reconstruction of the Union."
Copyright 2003
he Meaning of Freedom: Black and White Responses to Slavery From Free Labor to Slave Labor Rights and Power: The Politics of Reconstruction The Ending of Reconstruction Epilogue: The Unfinished Revolution Additional Resources Credits for this Exhibit Link to return to Digital History Home Link to return to Reconstruction Home Introduction