Conference

The Reconstruction & White Supremacy: How History Repeats Itself

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Abstract

The reconstruction was a period of post-civil war cultural, social, political, and economic change for the United States. During this time, we see a surge of political participation by the formally enslaved black population in many localities across the Southern United States. Unfortunately, the reconstruction creates a whole new threat in the form of the Ku Klux Klan. This terrorist organization acted as the white resistance to the reconstruction and used violence and manipulation to re-strengthen white-supremacy across the United States. Today we see a similar resurgence of white resistance occurring; some of which are subtle overtones of white supremacy perpetuated through our established systems of governance and justice, and others are zealous demonstrations of anger. I will use the reconstruction period as a lens to explain how modern-day white supremacy has continually matriculated throughout our society and how the appeasement of hate will only continue the United States’ history of racial oppression.