Redemption and After Summary and Analysis

1876 was the centennial celebration of the nation's founding as well as a presidential election year. Despite the continuing depression, a large exposition was held in Philadelphia to celebrate the technology and industry of the nation. The North had largely lost interest in supporting federal efforts to reconstruct the South, Foner argues, and the exposition made little reference to blacks or the war.

Split apart by factional differences, the Republican party nominated the unremarkable Rutherford B. Hayes for president in 1876. The Democrats elected Samuel Tilden. Meanwhile, campaigning in the South for state and local offices grew increasingly violent as political and racial tensions increased. South Carolina, Georgia and other southern states began to speak in terms of the "redemption" of their states by a return to white supremacy. Redemption became a rallying cry during the sometime violent racial...