The Freedmen's Bureau and Reconstruction: Reconsiderations addresses the history of the Freedmen's Bureau at state and local levels of the Reconstruction South. In this lively and well-documented book; the authors discuss the diversity of conditions and the personalities of the Bureau's agents state by state. They offer insight into the actions and thoughts; not only of the agents; but also of the southern planters and the former slaves; as both of these groups learned how to deal with new responsibilities; new advantages and disadvantages; and altered relationships. The period of Reconstruction was a troubling time in the history of the South. The Congress of the United States passed laws and the President issued edicts; but more often than not; the results of Reconstruction in a particular area depended primarily on the character and personality of an individual Bureau agent. The agents were on the front line of this postwar battle against hatred; bigotry; fear; ignorance; and helplessness. This work presents accounts; often in their own words; about how the agents and officers of the Freedmen's Bureau reacted to the problems that they faced and the people with whom they dealt on a day-to-day basis. Although the primary intent of Professors Cimbala and Miller is to enhance the research on post-Civil War Reconstruction and the role of the Freedmen's Bureau for the benefit of historians; the book is a good read for any lover of American history or armchair psychologist. Also; it has social value regarding the roots of the hatred; violence; and bigotry between the races that has come down through the generations to the present day. We are all products of our history; whether we are white or black; southern or northern. Only through an understanding of this history can we better approach the problems that remain to be solved.
#482048 in Books Duke University Press Books 2011-06-27 2011-06-27Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x .82 x 6.13l; 1.15 #File Name: 0822350505328 pages
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy KWAbsolutely amazing3 of 7 people found the following review helpful. excellent conditionBy Andrew Clarkei am very happy. it arrived in excellent condition! it arrived in very good time. i cant complain about anything. and to top it off it made for a good read!3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Demonstrates the Role of Intersectionality in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1920s-1940sBy RDDIn "Sojourning for Freedom: Black Women; American Communism; and the Making of Black Left Feminism"; Dr. Erik S. McDuffie writes; "By tracing black women radicals' lives; this book recovers 'black left feminism;' a path-breaking brand of feminist politics that centers working-class women by combining black nationalist and American Communist Party (CPUSA) positions on race; gender; and class with black women radicals' own lived experiences" (p. 3). McDuffie demonstrates that "the Communist Left served as a principal site and viable alternative for black women radicals to agitate for black freedom and black women's dignity outside of women's clubs; the church; and civil rights and black nationalist groups" (p. 3). As part of their political activity; many of the black women activists visited the Soviet Union during the 1920s. McDuffie writes; "Sojourning to the Soviet Union was crucial in cultivating black left feminism. The Soviet Union served as a political terrain where black Communist women forged their 'New Woman' sensibility and a 'black women's international' that was committed to building transnational alliances with women from around the world...Transformed by their Soviet experiences; they returned home more committed than ever to fighting for black freedom; black women's dignity and rights; and socialism" (p. 53). In this way; McDuffie highlights the role of international communism in shaping the civil rights movement of the 1920s-1940s. All of that changed; however; following McCarthyism and the red scare.The Sojourners for Truth and Justice; the group from whom McDuffie derives the name of his book; represent the last gasp of communist-inspired Black Left Feminism prior to the emergence of the 1960s Civil Rights movement. McDuffie argues; "The demise of the Sojourners provides an example of the destructive impact of anti-Communism and Communist sectarianism on black left feminism during the early 1950s" (p. 182). McDuffie writes; "The legacy of the red scare and a generational divide did shroud [black left feminism's] legacy from some young black feminists" (p. 209). Despite this divide; the rhetoric and methods of black left feminism continued on; embodied in Angela Y. Davis and Esther Cooper Jackson.McDuffie's monograph covers a critical time in the long civil rights movement and shows how intersectionality played a key role in activists' understanding of their work.
