One of the greatest mistakes America ever made was failing to utterly crush the South after the Civil War -- dismantle its power structures, imprison its leaders, expressly disavow its values & traditions, & put it under the equivalent of receivership for several decades.
"Looking forward not backward" after white reactionaries fuck everything up has been a pattern from the beginning, going right up to [checks watch] now. I'd really like to break that habit.
By the way, if you'd like to learn more about a pivotal episode in America's failure on Reconstruction, check out this thread from @chrislhayes and the book linked at the end.
He also interviewed the book's author, historian Brenda Wineapple, on his podcast -- one of the most fascinating & eye-opening hours you will ever spend. stitcher.com/podcast/msnbc/…
Whole lotta people in this thread vigorously refuting things that no one said. Even more than usual, I mean. Here's something smarter to read on the subject, from @adamgopnik: newyorker.com/magazine/2019/…
For the longer version, check out this excellent book by @HC_Richardson: amazon.com/dp/B084T78RLD/…
