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The Third Reconstruction: America's Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century
One of our preeminent historians of race and democracy argues that the period since 2008 has marked nothing less than America’s Third Reconstruction
In The Third Reconstruction, distinguished historian Peniel E. Joseph offers a powerful and personal new interpretation of recent history. The racial reckoning that unfolded in 2020, he argues, marked the climax of a Third a new struggle for citizenship and dignity for Black Americans, just as momentous as the movements that arose after the Civil War and during the civil rights era. Joseph draws revealing connections and insights across centuries as he traces this Third Reconstruction from the election of Barack Obama to the rise of Black Lives Matter to the failed assault on the Capitol.
America’s first and second Reconstructions fell tragically short of their grand aims. Our Third Reconstruction offers a new chance to achieve Black dignity and citizenship at last—an opportunity to choose hope over fear.
In The Third Reconstruction, distinguished historian Peniel E. Joseph offers a powerful and personal new interpretation of recent history. The racial reckoning that unfolded in 2020, he argues, marked the climax of a Third a new struggle for citizenship and dignity for Black Americans, just as momentous as the movements that arose after the Civil War and during the civil rights era. Joseph draws revealing connections and insights across centuries as he traces this Third Reconstruction from the election of Barack Obama to the rise of Black Lives Matter to the failed assault on the Capitol.
America’s first and second Reconstructions fell tragically short of their grand aims. Our Third Reconstruction offers a new chance to achieve Black dignity and citizenship at last—an opportunity to choose hope over fear.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 6, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
January 2, 2023
Peniel Joseph has become a public intellectual capable of reaching the masses with clear eyed prose and unmuddled analysis. Much like he did in his work, The Sword and The Shield, he makes it plain and therefore accessible to those outside the halls of academia. Here he makes the case that the 2008 election of Barack Obama ushered in America’s third reconstruction and once again a chance at abolitionist democracy. By juxtaposing the third reconstruction against the first two, it’s easy to grasp how the history has impacted the present and without meaningful transformation will influence the future in ways that may resemble the worst of the past.
He states; “To admit that much of the racial progress experienced since the Civil War took place within a framework of American exceptionalism that has limited prospects for Black citizenship and dignity, and thus constrained the freedom dreams of an entire nation, is not to suggest ALL is lost. It merely forces us to confront moral and political truths we have been collectively reluctant to acknowledge about how a living history has actively shaped our present and might impact our future.
The pastoral beauty that DuBois described in Black Reconstruction framed scenes of lynching, Black suffering and death have taken place alongside white celebrations of family, faith, and friendship—sometimes becoming the occasion for them. These juxtapositions may be characterized as horrific, tragic and even unforgivable, but they are no mere aberrations. They are not passive historical wrongs awaiting the moral justice of
more clear-eyed generations.”
Peniel has carved out room in that public intellectual space that seeks to engage the everyday people. Move over Michael Eric Dyson and make way for the bright young scholar writing his way into the public imagination.
He states; “To admit that much of the racial progress experienced since the Civil War took place within a framework of American exceptionalism that has limited prospects for Black citizenship and dignity, and thus constrained the freedom dreams of an entire nation, is not to suggest ALL is lost. It merely forces us to confront moral and political truths we have been collectively reluctant to acknowledge about how a living history has actively shaped our present and might impact our future.
The pastoral beauty that DuBois described in Black Reconstruction framed scenes of lynching, Black suffering and death have taken place alongside white celebrations of family, faith, and friendship—sometimes becoming the occasion for them. These juxtapositions may be characterized as horrific, tragic and even unforgivable, but they are no mere aberrations. They are not passive historical wrongs awaiting the moral justice of
more clear-eyed generations.”
Peniel has carved out room in that public intellectual space that seeks to engage the everyday people. Move over Michael Eric Dyson and make way for the bright young scholar writing his way into the public imagination.
August 9, 2024
Listened to in car on a road trip from Texas to South Carolina and back. Passing through the South while listening to history about the South, you can see the effect of the fights people were going through and the benefits as well as the losses of those fights. The Book was interesting. Chapters are long but the history is enlightening.
June 18, 2024
A detailed analysis of the three racial reconstructive periods in the US. Moves through each period with clarity and copiously rich examples.
The book ends with a bifurcated explanation of the radical hope of 2020's protests against police Brutality, and the election of Joe Biden with the dowerer rise of facism in the crescendo of white supremacist xenophobic "anti-everything" capitalism embodied by Covicted Fellon Donald Trump (who will with unlikely hope be soon turning "Orange is the new Black" into his new reality TV show.).
In the face of Despotic dictatorial Fanatacism, Joseph still has hope. I unfortunately do not.
The book ends with a bifurcated explanation of the radical hope of 2020's protests against police Brutality, and the election of Joe Biden with the dowerer rise of facism in the crescendo of white supremacist xenophobic "anti-everything" capitalism embodied by Covicted Fellon Donald Trump (who will with unlikely hope be soon turning "Orange is the new Black" into his new reality TV show.).
In the face of Despotic dictatorial Fanatacism, Joseph still has hope. I unfortunately do not.
October 16, 2022
Joseph successfully connects current events with those of the Civil Rights movment in the mid-twentieth century and Reconstruction in the late-nineteenth. In doing so, he crafts a framework from which to consider today's events and the possibilities before us.
He tends to labor through anecdotes as a sort of "throat-clearing," but each chapter adds value to his overall argument. If you're curious how today's events connect with our history -- and what that might mean for our future -- this book is perfect for you. Insightful. Powerfully argued. Well done.
He tends to labor through anecdotes as a sort of "throat-clearing," but each chapter adds value to his overall argument. If you're curious how today's events connect with our history -- and what that might mean for our future -- this book is perfect for you. Insightful. Powerfully argued. Well done.
November 5, 2022
I've read this book for a book group and I'm glad I've got others to talk with about this work as it's got a lot of information and opinion in it that is difficult to sort through on your own. Having read a number of books about racism in the past couple of years, I wonder if we'll ever get past it or all the other forms of discrimination we have in this world.
January 16, 2024
A must read! A comprehensible analysis of our present Black Lives Matter movement. Joseph contextualizes and connects the long history of the Black freedom struggle to empower and inspire the struggle forward.
March 12, 2023
Fantastic book that reminds us of all of the work that is still so necessarty to move forward as a society.
October 28, 2022
The ideas in this book and its connection of present anti racist movements to our historical past are really important, but it reads like a draft. Lots of repetition and clunky prose. Definitely could use a few more passes by the editing team.
August 8, 2024
This book has the flavor of both history and memoir. It connects the First Reconstruction (between the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865 and the violent rise of white supremacy, represented by the Wilmington, NC, events in 1898) to the Second Reconstruction (between the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision in 1954 and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968) and the Third Reconstruction (starting with the election of Barack Obama to the Presidency in 2008 and continuing, as of this writing, in August 2024). Always in counterpoise--perhaps the better term would be violent counterprotest--to these movements toward full citizenship and dignity for Black Americans are the white supremacist and racist efforts of those engaged in so-called "Redemptionist" activities, whether the "Lost Cause" efforts of the defeated Confederates (who, as the author puts it, "lost the war but won the peace"), the enactment of Black Codes and Jim Crow laws, the opposition to the Civil Rights movement, and the backlash of the Trump movement and related groups. Indeed, the Third Reconstruction may end, or go underground, if Trump is re-elected in 2024.
The significance of this book, for me, was the consistent education of how various historical events look through the eyes of a Black person. I know slavery and lynching and rape are wrong, segregation is wrong, voter suppression is wrong, mass incarceration is wrong, so many things that have happened in the United States to Black people are wrong. The author helped me understand that many events that, at the time, were reported as the work of criminals or violent people--the work of Angela Davis, the Black Panther Party, the work of SNCC in its later years, the teachings of Malcolm X, and even the work of Black Lives Matter--while not always perfect in their philosophy or execution (what is?) have been misreported and even twisted to instill fear instead of understanding and to camouflage their part in the the ongoing struggle for the "Beloved Community" free of racial injustice, violence, and poverty that is so much needed for everyone's sake. Joseph especially emphasizes the unheralded work of Black women in the progress that has been made thus far. A thought-provoking book that summarizes so much of what has gone wrong and still could be made right in our history.
The significance of this book, for me, was the consistent education of how various historical events look through the eyes of a Black person. I know slavery and lynching and rape are wrong, segregation is wrong, voter suppression is wrong, mass incarceration is wrong, so many things that have happened in the United States to Black people are wrong. The author helped me understand that many events that, at the time, were reported as the work of criminals or violent people--the work of Angela Davis, the Black Panther Party, the work of SNCC in its later years, the teachings of Malcolm X, and even the work of Black Lives Matter--while not always perfect in their philosophy or execution (what is?) have been misreported and even twisted to instill fear instead of understanding and to camouflage their part in the the ongoing struggle for the "Beloved Community" free of racial injustice, violence, and poverty that is so much needed for everyone's sake. Joseph especially emphasizes the unheralded work of Black women in the progress that has been made thus far. A thought-provoking book that summarizes so much of what has gone wrong and still could be made right in our history.
February 11, 2023
Dr. Joseph E. Peniel has stated that "Black History saved him." Now a public intellectual with joint professorships at the prestigious LBJ and Barabara Jordan Schools at UT Austin, he grew up the son of a proud Haitian, social activist mother in a working class, black immigrant neighborhood in Queens, was educated at Stonybrook , and received his PHD from Temple University. He is a true race man whose love for his people, Black History, and his working class upbringing passionately inform his latest book. He honors the place of Black women as central to the struggle to achieve citizenship, dignity, and freedom for all Black Americans. He views county's history as an ungoing struggle between
the Reconsructionists who want to rebuild a just and equal society for all of us and The Redemptionists tied to the myths of American exceptionalism, the Lost Cause, and white supremacy who have fought societal change with the justice system, terrorism, and violence. He traces our history from the first Reconstruction period following the Civil War and the second Reconstruction period, the Civil Rights Movement, to the Third Reconstruction era that started with President Obama's election and, with the leadership of the Black Lives Matter movement, continues today. He sees President Obama's elite education and upbringing outside of Black America and that our 44th President can be seen as the poster boy for American exceptionalism kept Obama from understanding the depth of structural racism and prevented him from taking the actions necessary to alter the racist structure of American society. Instead, Joseph sees hope that movements by ordinary people can change America. His faith lies in BLMl led by Queer Black women and the young white Americans who joined the protests following the murder of George Floyd. He sees the power of this Third Reconstruction reaching not only America but the freedom struggles across the globe. While I think he was right about our underestimation of the racist backlash to President Obama, he was also asking too much of President Obama. The book makes a valuable and impassioned contribution to American history.
the Reconsructionists who want to rebuild a just and equal society for all of us and The Redemptionists tied to the myths of American exceptionalism, the Lost Cause, and white supremacy who have fought societal change with the justice system, terrorism, and violence. He traces our history from the first Reconstruction period following the Civil War and the second Reconstruction period, the Civil Rights Movement, to the Third Reconstruction era that started with President Obama's election and, with the leadership of the Black Lives Matter movement, continues today. He sees President Obama's elite education and upbringing outside of Black America and that our 44th President can be seen as the poster boy for American exceptionalism kept Obama from understanding the depth of structural racism and prevented him from taking the actions necessary to alter the racist structure of American society. Instead, Joseph sees hope that movements by ordinary people can change America. His faith lies in BLMl led by Queer Black women and the young white Americans who joined the protests following the murder of George Floyd. He sees the power of this Third Reconstruction reaching not only America but the freedom struggles across the globe. While I think he was right about our underestimation of the racist backlash to President Obama, he was also asking too much of President Obama. The book makes a valuable and impassioned contribution to American history.
June 26, 2024
This is a must read. Contemporary historian Peniel E. Joseph's book “The Third Reconstruction” provides an important exploration of America's true history of racial injustice. Joseph illuminates historical realities and inspires us to strive for reconciliation and healing by addressing the injustices of the past.
Joseph introduces the concepts of redemptionism and reconstructionism. He explains how Redemptionists sought to reverse the progress of Reconstruction by restoring white supremacy through violent and oppressive means, resulting in widespread disenfranchisement and segregation of African Americans. In contrast, Reconstructionists aimed to rebuild the South on principles of equality and justice, advocating for inclusive policies and reforms that advanced civil rights and laid the groundwork for future progress, despite significant resistance and setbacks.
Joseph guides readers through three important periods in America's racial history, comparing and contrasting them to provide a comprehensive understanding of the ongoing struggle for racial justice. He emphasizes that, although resistance to progress remains, we must persist in our efforts to reconstruct our society to achieve true equality and justice.
"The Third Reconstruction" is a hopeful narrative that encourages us to acknowledge and educate others about America's true history of racial injustice. Joseph argues that it is only through this continuous process of education and reconciliation that we can heal as a nation and work towards a more equitable future.
Trump's presidency, and his continuing influence, mainstreamed fringe political ideas and groups. By amplifying voices advocating for a more homogenous, often 'Christian'-centered national identity, Trump legitimized these perspectives and emboldened their activism. This makes it even more crucial to focus on reconstruction.
Peniel E. Joseph's "The Third Reconstruction" is a vital contribution to understanding America's racial history and offers a roadmap for moving forward toward a more just and inclusive society. It is a must-read for anyone committed to understanding and addressing the deep-rooted racial issues in America.
Joseph introduces the concepts of redemptionism and reconstructionism. He explains how Redemptionists sought to reverse the progress of Reconstruction by restoring white supremacy through violent and oppressive means, resulting in widespread disenfranchisement and segregation of African Americans. In contrast, Reconstructionists aimed to rebuild the South on principles of equality and justice, advocating for inclusive policies and reforms that advanced civil rights and laid the groundwork for future progress, despite significant resistance and setbacks.
Joseph guides readers through three important periods in America's racial history, comparing and contrasting them to provide a comprehensive understanding of the ongoing struggle for racial justice. He emphasizes that, although resistance to progress remains, we must persist in our efforts to reconstruct our society to achieve true equality and justice.
"The Third Reconstruction" is a hopeful narrative that encourages us to acknowledge and educate others about America's true history of racial injustice. Joseph argues that it is only through this continuous process of education and reconciliation that we can heal as a nation and work towards a more equitable future.
Trump's presidency, and his continuing influence, mainstreamed fringe political ideas and groups. By amplifying voices advocating for a more homogenous, often 'Christian'-centered national identity, Trump legitimized these perspectives and emboldened their activism. This makes it even more crucial to focus on reconstruction.
Peniel E. Joseph's "The Third Reconstruction" is a vital contribution to understanding America's racial history and offers a roadmap for moving forward toward a more just and inclusive society. It is a must-read for anyone committed to understanding and addressing the deep-rooted racial issues in America.
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February 12, 2023I heard an interview with the author of this book on Higher Learning, a podcast featuring Van Lathan Jr and Rachel Lindsay. It was around MLK Jr Day, and they were talking about the co-opting and selective remembering of MLK Jr by redemptionists in order to make it seem like racial equality has already been achieved and anyone working toward equality/equity is just being whiny. He also talked about why people remember MLK Jr’s legacy that way but not Malcolm X’s. This is a topic I definitely don’t know enough about so I decided to check out his book!
The book is ambitious and covers 3 reconstructions: post-civil war, civil rights in the 60s, and modern BLM movements. I think the topics are so interesting but I just had a hard time getting into the book for a few reasons:
- a lot of this seems like essays that were written to be read individually but then were put together, which leads to a topic being explored from the middle out and then back to the beginning. For example, we learned about Ida B Wells’ activism as an adult for several pages and then 15 pages later we are introduced to Ida B Wells and learn about her biography from childhood as if we hadn’t just spent pages on her.
- there is SO MUCH to cover, so none of it is really done in depth. I got a lot of topics to research on Wikipedia and learn more about, but not many deep-dives
- there is this redemptionist vs reconstructionist narrative that it seems like Joseph tries to fit everyone into, but I think people are more on a spectrum. It helps to boil down to these ideas so the reader can understand motivations, but putting Obama and radical democratic socialists in the same bucket feels incomplete. Joseph does talk about areas where Obama wasn’t progressive, or was focused on American exceptionalism, but would love to see that expanded on with other leaders.
All in all, I am glad I read this because I have a lot more topics to learn more about now, but I think I was hoping it would be more of a motivations-based or cultural-based exploration with nuance.
The book is ambitious and covers 3 reconstructions: post-civil war, civil rights in the 60s, and modern BLM movements. I think the topics are so interesting but I just had a hard time getting into the book for a few reasons:
- a lot of this seems like essays that were written to be read individually but then were put together, which leads to a topic being explored from the middle out and then back to the beginning. For example, we learned about Ida B Wells’ activism as an adult for several pages and then 15 pages later we are introduced to Ida B Wells and learn about her biography from childhood as if we hadn’t just spent pages on her.
- there is SO MUCH to cover, so none of it is really done in depth. I got a lot of topics to research on Wikipedia and learn more about, but not many deep-dives
- there is this redemptionist vs reconstructionist narrative that it seems like Joseph tries to fit everyone into, but I think people are more on a spectrum. It helps to boil down to these ideas so the reader can understand motivations, but putting Obama and radical democratic socialists in the same bucket feels incomplete. Joseph does talk about areas where Obama wasn’t progressive, or was focused on American exceptionalism, but would love to see that expanded on with other leaders.
All in all, I am glad I read this because I have a lot more topics to learn more about now, but I think I was hoping it would be more of a motivations-based or cultural-based exploration with nuance.
May 14, 2023
What struck me about Peniel E. Joseph's "The Third reconstruction: America's Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century" is how much it felt like a personal conversation. It was both a summary of something I should have learned much more about in high school--the first Reconstruction--and a review of the world I remember very well being a part of. That was the world of the Civil Rights struggle of the 1960s, when I was a teenager, and my present, and how my world got from the presidency of Barack Obama to whatever it is we are coping with now, following the end of the first, and I hope only, Trump presidency. His separation of approaches into Reconstructionists (radical abolitionists) and Redemptionists (those who would rewrite history to recast the Lost Cause and systemic racism in a different light) was interesting and helpful in offering me language to grapple with my own concerns.
While the overall tone of his book is optimistic--and I wish I could share that optimism--I find myself horrified that the US seems doomed to a pendulum swing from justice for all and a full investment in American democracy to reactionary periods where racism and the ugliest human impulses hold sway. I look around me. I see the very real possibility that Trump could win the presidency again because of the distortions of the Electoral College. I see a deeply corrupt Supreme Court that lives in the pockets of special interests are persistently rule in favor of racist and Republican agendas. I see not just the revival of inequities and abuses I thought had been put down permanently, but an explosion in the power of voters and elected officials alike who revived them.
But we need to read about these things, talk about them, argue about what they might mean and how to interpret them. And this is a pretty good book for that.
While the overall tone of his book is optimistic--and I wish I could share that optimism--I find myself horrified that the US seems doomed to a pendulum swing from justice for all and a full investment in American democracy to reactionary periods where racism and the ugliest human impulses hold sway. I look around me. I see the very real possibility that Trump could win the presidency again because of the distortions of the Electoral College. I see a deeply corrupt Supreme Court that lives in the pockets of special interests are persistently rule in favor of racist and Republican agendas. I see not just the revival of inequities and abuses I thought had been put down permanently, but an explosion in the power of voters and elected officials alike who revived them.
But we need to read about these things, talk about them, argue about what they might mean and how to interpret them. And this is a pretty good book for that.
January 31, 2023
This book does a lot of things well, but it also confused me in some other ways. The author, Peniel Joseph, is a preeminent historian of 20th century US history with a focus on the Black Power movement. Because of his experience in that field, I expected this book to be in that vein. It has some excellent information about various pockets of historical explanation.
My criticism of the book is largely that it tries to meld together different forms that don't quite make sense. It is at times a work of historical scholarship while often being more of a memoir. Either would be fine, but the mix is a bit challenging here. Also, tone aside, the thematic development of the book didn't quite work for me either. The folks mentioned in the "leadership" chapter (Ida B. Wells and Fannie Lou Hamer, among others), would have made sense to discuss chronologically far earlier in the book. The jump back and forth between chronology and tone of the book made it challenging to follow.
I am not saying that any of this makes it a *bad* book. In fact, despite reading a fair bit in this area Joseph still taught me several things. I also really appreciated the historical context and framing for the Black Lives Matter movement, in particular. I will utilize the book as a reference for the sections of the book that discuss relevant historical context for 21st century race relations.
I would not assign this book for a history class, but I would certainly consider it for a course on race at the college level or for general readers. Rather than assign it in full, I feel this will be a useful book to pull quotable passages from in the future.
My criticism of the book is largely that it tries to meld together different forms that don't quite make sense. It is at times a work of historical scholarship while often being more of a memoir. Either would be fine, but the mix is a bit challenging here. Also, tone aside, the thematic development of the book didn't quite work for me either. The folks mentioned in the "leadership" chapter (Ida B. Wells and Fannie Lou Hamer, among others), would have made sense to discuss chronologically far earlier in the book. The jump back and forth between chronology and tone of the book made it challenging to follow.
I am not saying that any of this makes it a *bad* book. In fact, despite reading a fair bit in this area Joseph still taught me several things. I also really appreciated the historical context and framing for the Black Lives Matter movement, in particular. I will utilize the book as a reference for the sections of the book that discuss relevant historical context for 21st century race relations.
I would not assign this book for a history class, but I would certainly consider it for a course on race at the college level or for general readers. Rather than assign it in full, I feel this will be a useful book to pull quotable passages from in the future.
January 12, 2023
Written by Peniel E. Joseph, whose mother immigrated to the United States from Haiti, the author was mostly raised in different sections of New York. Part memoir, part political analysis, "The Third Reconstruction" explains the first Reconstruction Era after the Civil War briefly, before going into the second wave after the Civil Rights Act was passed, but mostly focuses on the contemporary era of the Black Lives Matter movement, including the murder of George Floyd. The author details an analysis of former President Obama's presidency as well as the lead-ups to how he won a critical race in Iowa, and how the author began to believe that a Black president was looking like more and more of a distinct possibility, hearkening back to Robert F. Kennedy's words in the 1960s about how he hoped and thought the nation could have a Black president in the next 30 or 40 years. Joseph is also critical in his examination of the presidency, and does not make it a hagiography. Very interesting reading material, and definitely a worthwhile read for those looking to build their anti-racism lists and understanding.
December 2, 2022
Historian Peniel Joseph lays out the case that the the country has seen three periods of reconstruction aimed at achieving racial justice. The first occurred after the Civil War and the second during the Civil Rights movement. The third, he said, began with the election of Barack Obama and evolved with the Black Lives Matter movement.
The book is very well written and I think useful in helping us understand the present in the context of the past. However, I think it is premature to label this time we are in as a third reconstruction; I think we have to get farther down the road before we can make that claim.
I heard Joseph speak at the recent Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading and found him to be very engaging. This book includes many personal stories and comments, so it is partly memoir. He grew up in New York City the child of a Haitian immigrant and is now a well-published academic. Joseph is ultimately hopeful--believing that "the struggle for Black dignity and citizenship can be achieved in our lifetime."
The book is very well written and I think useful in helping us understand the present in the context of the past. However, I think it is premature to label this time we are in as a third reconstruction; I think we have to get farther down the road before we can make that claim.
I heard Joseph speak at the recent Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading and found him to be very engaging. This book includes many personal stories and comments, so it is partly memoir. He grew up in New York City the child of a Haitian immigrant and is now a well-published academic. Joseph is ultimately hopeful--believing that "the struggle for Black dignity and citizenship can be achieved in our lifetime."
November 13, 2023
Joseph presents an interesting argument that we are in the Third Reconstruction. The first was post civil war, the second was the civil rights movement in the 1960's. The movements share characteristics - black Americans and their allies are fed up with the status quo of being second class citizens and are demanding action from leaders.
The first two movements got very tangible things done and Peniel argues it was not from incrementalism which he urges us to not accept. It was from demanding it all - freedom from slavery in the first, full citizen rights in the second. He ends with a gasp of hope. Look to the past to see all that was won, in spite of all that was lost.
At times the writing was clunky, and Joseph confused me when he talked about Bernie being an inadequate option vs. Clinton right after dismissing incrementalism. But overall an informative and inspiring read.
The first two movements got very tangible things done and Peniel argues it was not from incrementalism which he urges us to not accept. It was from demanding it all - freedom from slavery in the first, full citizen rights in the second. He ends with a gasp of hope. Look to the past to see all that was won, in spite of all that was lost.
At times the writing was clunky, and Joseph confused me when he talked about Bernie being an inadequate option vs. Clinton right after dismissing incrementalism. But overall an informative and inspiring read.
February 4, 2023
Great historical comparisons between past and present.
Great information, well researched. Dr. Joseph masterfully illustrates the progress black people make, and how time and time again ,it is snatched away by the redemptionist ideology in this country ( The first reconstruction 1865-1898, with the passage of the reconstruction amendments, to the Coup in Wilmington in 1898). The Second Reconstruction marked by the passage of Brown v Board of Education in 1954, the Civil Rights Act in 1964, Voting Rights Act in 1965, The Fair Housing Act in 1968. The progress comes to a screeching halt with the assassination of Dr King that same year. He argues a Third Reconstruction is needed and hope will be its driving force!
Great information, well researched. Dr. Joseph masterfully illustrates the progress black people make, and how time and time again ,it is snatched away by the redemptionist ideology in this country ( The first reconstruction 1865-1898, with the passage of the reconstruction amendments, to the Coup in Wilmington in 1898). The Second Reconstruction marked by the passage of Brown v Board of Education in 1954, the Civil Rights Act in 1964, Voting Rights Act in 1965, The Fair Housing Act in 1968. The progress comes to a screeching halt with the assassination of Dr King that same year. He argues a Third Reconstruction is needed and hope will be its driving force!
March 28, 2025
Essential perspective for our current situation. Published in 2022, it does not reflect the 2024 election and aftermath.
The waves of history are important for us to understand. Each period of Reconstruction was a time of progress toward equal opportunity and equality, followed by a period of backlash. The first Reconstruction was at the end of the Civil War, the second the Civil Rights period of the 1960s and 1970s and the third began with the election of Barack Obama as President of the U.S. The periods of backlash are considered redemptionist efforts to revert to the old order.
This book provides highlights key people in each Reconstruction era and provides a way to see our current times in the context of this persistent struggle to create an equitable multicultural society.
The waves of history are important for us to understand. Each period of Reconstruction was a time of progress toward equal opportunity and equality, followed by a period of backlash. The first Reconstruction was at the end of the Civil War, the second the Civil Rights period of the 1960s and 1970s and the third began with the election of Barack Obama as President of the U.S. The periods of backlash are considered redemptionist efforts to revert to the old order.
This book provides highlights key people in each Reconstruction era and provides a way to see our current times in the context of this persistent struggle to create an equitable multicultural society.
June 7, 2023
I love history but some history books are so heavy handed with grandiose prose that they require many brain muscles to do the heavy lifting of grasping the message. Joseph’s book is brilliant in the way he presents the periods of reconstruction in America. The book shows us that history is not linear but rather a compilation of the past, the present and how they at times reconnect to move us toward a more equitable future.
We will forever be hopeful that we can achieve equality and justice in our current lifetime, or we’ll keep passing it along to our next generation. Wonderful analysis, I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it to friends.
We will forever be hopeful that we can achieve equality and justice in our current lifetime, or we’ll keep passing it along to our next generation. Wonderful analysis, I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it to friends.
September 4, 2024
This is a very clear, straightforward argument about the relationship between 19th century Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s and the Black Lives Matter movement of the 21st century. Peniel Joseph makes clear connections between them, and in doing so, illuminates some oft-overlooked elements of the current moment, and brings a historical perspective to current events.
I do think the analysis gets a little tendentious - it's not clear that every chapter adds more to his argument. But this is a good starting point for considering the ties across centuries between movements for racial justice in America.
I do think the analysis gets a little tendentious - it's not clear that every chapter adds more to his argument. But this is a good starting point for considering the ties across centuries between movements for racial justice in America.
July 13, 2023
I bumped up against the structure of the book, I think. The delineation of three ages of Reconstruction is instructive, and the push and pull of reconstruction versus redemption makes sense and is supported very well. I feel that separating the history into topical threads rather than telling a chronological narrative led to the repetition of the author's points and arguments. At times, especially in the later chapters, I felt like I was reading a list of things that happened rather than getting a feel for why and how one event or leader led to the next.
May 7, 2023
I thought this book was very insightful as it compares recent events (President Obama’s election, George Floyd, Black Lives Matter and January 6th) to the first and second Reconstruction. It was interesting to read his thoughts on President Obama’s time in office - as a Caucasian now I have a better understanding of how some/many African Americans viewed his Presidency under the lens of being a force for change. Highly recommend.
December 15, 2023
Lots of interesting info and he linked the Civil War to the present.
Not an easy read. Sentences are unnecessarily too long and there is a lot of repetition. Saying the same thing over and over again. Almost seemed like he did a lot of cut and paste.
He praised Black women, which is well deserved, but in doing so left the impression that they were solely responsible.
Not an easy read. Sentences are unnecessarily too long and there is a lot of repetition. Saying the same thing over and over again. Almost seemed like he did a lot of cut and paste.
He praised Black women, which is well deserved, but in doing so left the impression that they were solely responsible.
December 9, 2022
A great read. My only complaint is that it uses such language as "both men and women," which either incorrectly categorizes nonbinary people or ignores them altogether, and as the book shares in theory, these are exactly the people who need to be advocated for.
January 8, 2023
The Third Reconstruction was a great introduction to understanding and examining the many layers of America’s struggle for racial justice. Peniel E. Joseph infuses the notion that history is an indispensable lens by which Americans can dissect the present and redefine the future. Joseph’s articulate explanations and examples of the constant pendulum swing between a reconstructionist and redemptionist America develops a clear and fierce image on how the 21st century reverberates the First and Second Reconstruction. Infusing lessons from Frederick Douglass, W.E.B Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, Angela Davis, and George Floyd, The Third Reconstruction provides an eloquent analysis as to the previous strides and failures the nation has taken to support a multiracial democracy. It also invokes a powerful call to action to summon the strength necessary to recognize present challenges and build a better future for black lives.
April 23, 2023
Glad I read it - learned more about Reconstruction and Redemption as political terms and historical periods. I am constantly in awe of those who can look at history and the current situations and make sense of it all. So much to consider and so much to worry about. . .
May 25, 2023
This is a great book! I was looking for more of a chronological history rather than one written in the authors first person narrative, however Joseph crafted this book so well- it was a very enjoyable read.
June 8, 2023
After spending the past 3 years intensively studying America's racial history, this book resonated with me big time. Joseph's analysis of our history is spot-on, though it might be difficult for someone who has not delved deeply into that history ahead of time.
February 21, 2023
An essential guide to our current historical moment, written with clarity and compassion. Read it, restore your spirit, fear not. Then share it with a friend.
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