Reconstruction-A+Revolution+Manque

LM - In this enlightening article, //Reconstruction: A Revolution Manque,// the political situation that fatally slowed the momentum of northern radical war for racial equality was elaborated upon, in a light that exposes alarming similarities to other reform movement fatalities occurring in American history. In short, the north did not necessarily devote themselves to real equality for blacks, for their Republican support for it was sparked mainly by their opposition to souther white supremists who seemed to the the primary executers of the war against the union. Northern Republicans were pro-union, and thus anti-everything-that-was-symbolic of the Confederacy - including racial inequality. Although pro-black fervor lasted until the 1870s, support of freemen equality clearly did not prove to be a fundamental belief of the majority of northerners. Loosing steam as the Republican regime was toppling in the 1870s, the failure of northern equality movements is a disturbing exposure of how Americans' political pursuits are temporarily subject to the political mood of a certain time period.

It is disappointing to realize that the quest for equality outlined by Radical Republicans in the Reconstruction acts and the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments was merely a political mood swing of adolescent America. Displaced by a souther democrat, the Republican regime that was instituting these and other reuniting reforms lost its popular support when northern anti-southern-white focus created in the Civil War was displaced by economic woes in the 1870s. This is neither the first, nor the last time economic trends would negatively affect American social reform. As economic downturn in the late 18th century had distracted legislators (although not completely) from intensely overseeing the setting of America's centralized constitutional foundation, some argue so again in the economy detracting from the nation's current push for health-care, immigration, and other reforms. It is important to note that the Civil Rights Movement of the mid 20th century occurred at a time when America was in a relatively stable economic stature.

I LOVE this statement -- you have nailed the essence of the issue checked
 * Note on my post: I know it is not the main objective of wiki posts to be speculative, as this one slightly is, but I find the Reconstruction example of American politics intimately resemblant of other social movements, and thus I want to partially share that in this post.