The Rise, Fall, and Renewal of Reconstruction: Lessons for Today and Tomorrow
The first webinar, “An Introduction to Reconstruction and Its Potential,” discusses Reconstructionism generally – its origins, evolution, and ongoing (if underutilized) influence.
Streamed live on December 17, 2024
Speakers:
Barrett Holmes Pitner – Philosopher, Journalist, Educator; Author, The Crime Without a Name: Ethnocide and the Erasure of Culture in America
James R. May – Dignity Rights Scholar; Richard S. Righter Distinguished Professor of Law, Washburn University School of Law
Moderator: Etienne Toussaint – Associate Professor of Law, University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law
This conversation examined Reconstruction as a pivotal but often misunderstood era that established civil rights, citizenship, and voting rights for Black Americans, but was undermined by violent backlash. The speakers contrasted Reconstructionism with originalism, highlighting cycles of progress and regression throughout American history. They also linked the ideals of Reconstruction to modern struggles for justice, urging bolder legal and educational approaches to fulfill its unfinished promise.
Highlights:
Reconstruction’s ideals (multiracial democracy, land ownership, education, etc.) were revolutionary but were undermined by systemic violence and legal reversals
Pitner’s theory of the American Cycle → democracy clashes with ethnocide (cultural destruction and the Founding era), followed by movements to abolish oppression (Abolitionist movement of 1800s and Civil Rights Movement), leading to periods of advancement (Reconstruction, Obama’s presidency) followed by regression (Redemption, MAGA movement)
Modern movements to restrict voting rights or birthright citizenship echo what happened after the first Reconstruction
During Reconstruction, Black Americans asserted their dignity through political participation, land ownership, and community building as a way to seek recognition as equal members of society
During periods of Regression, we see an inversion of language where dignity is weaponized and used as a way to positively remember Redeemers through things like Confederate monuments
Reconstruction was not a failure but an unfinished project that offers a roadmap for addressing today’s inequities