The Campaign of 1866 was not just electoral.
It was a referendum written in fire and blood.

#Reconstruction #CampaignOf1866 #MemphisRiot #NewOrleansMassacre #RadicalReconstruction #BlackHistory #USHistory #EricFoner

A photo of a page from Eric Foner’s Reconstruction, 1863–1877. The text discusses the Republican push for the Civil Rights Bill of 1866, resistance from President Andrew Johnson, senators warning of conflict if it were vetoed, and Johnson’s explicit rejection of Black citizenship. It includes racist arguments Johnson used claiming the bill favored Black people over whites and that immigrants were more deserving of citizenship.

A second photo of the following page. The heading reads The Making of Radical Reconstruction. The text explains how Johnson’s veto became a political disaster, uniting Republicans against him. It quotes Frederick Douglass on the deep roots of states’-rights ideology and recounts Johnson responding approvingly to a racist shout alleging the Civil Rights Act would “keep the nigger down.”

#Reconstruction #CivilRightsAct1866 #AndrewJohnson #BlackHistory #RadicalReconstruction #EricFoner