Irony

I stayed in this evening and watched a little of the PBS show called Reconstruction. An interview with James G. Marston, III, was pretty chilling: Marston is a Louisiana descendent of a planter near Natchitoches, and noted that, while the Union forces won the war, the Southerners won Reconstruction. There were several factors that contributed to this:

Northern racism was every bit as evident as the Southern variety. In other words, support for genuine emancipation for the minority African-American population was never strong among the white majority.

Financial panic in the early 1870's (a quick collapse following a period of high growth) lessened support for a large government expenditure (in the form of troops) even more.

Family and regional ties in the South were strong in opposition to any Northern presence--Northerners were considered outsiders.

White supremecist organizations like the Knights of the White Camelia engaged in terror tactics against both Southern African-Americans and Northern arrivals.

And, in the end, a backroom deal to resolve a corrupt election in 1876 spelled the end of the policy. What followed was a return to white rule, with white Northern acquiescence. African-Americans in the South were relegated to codified second-class status as citizens (in the North, custom, not law, likewise oppressed African-Americans).

If reconstruction failed in the South, does anyone think that "nation building" in Iraq really has any chance?

Note: there is no transcript yet at the PBS site, but it's worth a look when it finally gets there.