Perspective

Foner is writing from the perspective of an academic who intends to provide a factual account of events and to present an analysis that shows how they are interconnected and influential on one another as well as to subsequent events. The period he writes about is one of great transformation in American history as the nation tried to reconstruct itself after the hostile split of the Civil War. For the first time, national authority was used to try to extend civil rights to a group of people over the objection of the states. Foner's perspective is a modern one that rejects racism and oppression, and he presents a viewpoint sympathetic to the frustration of the southern blacks who were first enslaved, then promised equality, then thrown back into oppression as the North abandoned Reconstruction efforts.

Foner also holds a certain perspective within the academic community, which he addresses...