Saturday June 13, 2015
Reunion and Reconstruction: “The War Goes On”

The Civil War did not end with the military defeat of the Confederacy in the spring of 1865. The major issue of slavery that precipitated secession did not end with its abolition by the 13th Amendment. President Johnson claimed to be following his predecessor during the era of “Presidential Reconstruction.” “Legislative Reconstruction” is generally marked by the passage of the 14th Civil Rights Amendment in 1867 but also the crucial 15th Voting Rights Amendment in 1870.

The story of the generation following the war is the degree to which the freedmen could exercise their political rights. Terrorism effectively limited voting rights coupled by the lack of economic status. The aftermath of the War pervaded the entire post-Civil War generation. By the 1890s, Reunion exemplified by the unity of the Spanish-American War had clearly superseded Reconstruction, postponed for a hundred years.

This symposium is in conjunction with the ongoing monthly Cosmos Club Civil War Discussion Group that has replicated since 2011 the history of the period in commemoration of the sesquicentennial.

Schedule
0830 REGISTRATION (Continental Breakfast)
0900 The Goals of the Symposium MNO CC ’09
0915 The Grand Experiment of Reconstruction: Creating a New Society in the Old South. Michael A Ross, University of Maryland
10:000 Reconstruction and its Consequences. Edna Medford, Howard University
10:45 Civil War Reconstruction and the U.S. Military Frank Cooling CC’ 84
11:30 LUNCH
1200. The Political Settlement: Reconstruction and Reunion. Mark Ozer CC ’09
1245 The Union Veteran in the Post-War Generation. Brian Jordan Gettysburg College
1330 Concluding Panel including all the above speakers
1400 CLOSE

Price of $45. includes Continental Breakfast, Lunch and Refreshments.
All are welcome to register as club guests by sending name and email to [email protected]. Please do so by 1 June 2015 to assure place. Please send checks to confirm seat also by 1 June to the order of Mark Ozer, 3050 Military Road NW, WDC 20015. Information as to parking etc will be forthcoming to registrants.