Journal Article - Quarterly Journal: International Security

White Supremacy, Terrorism, and the Failure of Reconstruction in the United States

| Summer 2021

White Southerners opposed to Reconstruction used violence to undermine Black political power and force uncommitted white Southerners to their side. The U.S. government did not deploy enough troops and withdrew them too quickly. This failure shows that democratization must include ensuring rights and the rule of law, not just elections. Reconstruction demonstrates that a common policy recommendation—compromise with the losers after a civil war—neither ensures lasting peace nor prevents generations of injustice.

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For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation:

Daniel Byman, "White Supremacy, Terrorism, and the Failure of Reconstruction in the United States," International Security, Vol. 46, No. 1 (Summer 2021), pp. 53–103, https://doi.org/10.1162/isec_a_00410.

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