From the “preeminent historian of Reconstruction” (New York Times Book Review), an updated abridged edition of Reconstruction, the prize-winning classic work of Civil War history on the post-Civil War period which shaped modern America.Reconstruction chronicles the way in which Americans—black and white—responded to the unprecedented changes unleashed by the war and the end of slavery, a pivotal era in African American history. It addresses the quest of emancipated slaves’ searching for economic autonomy and equal citizenship, and describes the remodeling of Southern society; the evolution of racial attitudes and patterns of race relations; and the emergence of a national state possessing vastly expanded authority and one committed, for a time, to the principle of equal rights for all Americans.This “masterful treatment of one of the most complex periods of American history” (New Republic) remains the standard work on the wrenching post-Civil War period—an era of Southern history whose legacy still reverberates in the United States today.Foner’s definitive account examines every facet of this transformative period in U.S. history: The Centrality of the Black Experience: Follows the quest of emancipated slaves for economic autonomy and equal citizenship, treating them as active agents in the making of a new America. A Remodeled Southern Society: Investigates the evolution of racial attitudes, complex patterns of race relations, and the emergence of a new class structure from the ashes of the Old South. The Rise of the National State: Traces the emergence of a national government with vastly expanded authority, committed for a time to the principle of equal rights for all Americans. A Definitive Historical Account: Draws on the latest scholarship to overturn outdated interpretations and provide the standard work on one of the most complex and controversial eras of the American past.