
The Second Founding
How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution
Eric Foner(Author)
WW Norton & Co (Publisher)
Published on 22. September 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-0-393-35852-0 (ISBN)
Description
The Declaration of Independence announced equality as an American ideal but it took the Civil War and the adoption of three constitutional amendments to establish that ideal as law. The Reconstruction amendments abolished slavery, guaranteed due process and the equal protection of the law, and equipped black men with the right to vote. By grafting the principle of equality onto the Constitution, the amendments marked the second founding of the United States.
Eric Foner conveys the dramatic origins of these revolutionary amendments and explores the court decisions that then narrowed and nullified the rights guaranteed in these amendments. Today, issues of birthright citizenship, voting rights, due process and equal protection are still in dispute; the ideal of equality yet to be achieved.
Eric Foner conveys the dramatic origins of these revolutionary amendments and explores the court decisions that then narrowed and nullified the rights guaranteed in these amendments. Today, issues of birthright citizenship, voting rights, due process and equal protection are still in dispute; the ideal of equality yet to be achieved.
Reviews / Votes
"An outstanding scholarly contribution... disciplined, powerful, and moving." -- The New York Times Book Review "Lucid and succinct." -- The Washington Post "This brisk but far-reaching book... argues that the principal issues of our own troubled time pose the same conundrums that were the main areas of Reconstruction contention." -- Boston GlobeMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 141 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
242 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-393-35852-0 (9780393358520)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
09/2019
W. W. Norton & Company
€16.49
Available for download
Person
Eric Foner's indelible works include the landmark history, Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution; a bestselling study of Lincoln and slavery, The Fiery Trial, winner of the Pulitzer, Bancroft, and Lincoln Prizes; and an influential history of the Reconstruction amendments, The Second Founding. The DeWitt Clinton Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University, Foner continues to write frequently for The Nation and other publications.