THREEINTERPRETATIONS OFTHE CIVIL WAR1. Traditional view, popular especially in the South—the Civil War had two acts—the North won the 1st, but the South won the 2nd. The 1stwas a noble fight of nearequals, the 2ndwas a good-against-evil struggle: occupied territory, radical villains,& an attempt to destroy all that was good & noble in Southern society. The 3groups who ran the South during Reconstruction—blacks, carpetbaggers, &scalawags—were all incompetent, corrupt, or both. Black people simply were notready for equal rights or political power. Only after the natural ruling class—mostly rich white men—took back over was there ‘redemption.’2. The Radicals in Congress were empty windbags—they allowed continueddiscrimination. They didn’t insist on land for freedmen, enforce the Amendments,or punish the South significantly. Not until the 1960s would the promises theRadicals made begin to be fulfilled. The North is villain again—this time for beingtoo weak & feckless to protect black people, who continued oppressed for 100years.3. It is inappropriate to see this as a struggle of good vs. evil—it is too complicated—the best laid and well-intentioned plans were too hard to implement in reality.
