The Invisible Empire - A Concise Review of the Epoch (Paperback, New edition)

The North Carolina carpetbagger Albion Winegar Tourgee came to the South in 1865 after serving as a Union volunteer during the Civil War. His struggles in the cause of civil rights led him to take part in the political reorganisation of the region. However, in 1879, Tourgee despaired of his efforts in the South and returned to the North. There he published A Fool's Errand, a largely autobiographical novel that depicted a southern society dominated by the Ku Klux Klan and riddled with racism, ignorance, and corrupt policies. Within a year of the release of A Fool's Errand, Tourgee published The Invisible Empire, a nonfiction account of his years in the South intended to buttress the portrait of Reconstruction southern society he had depicted in his novel. The Invisible Empire investigates white supremacy as it emerged from the milieu of slavery, war, politics, and Reconstruction. Tourgee argues that organisations such as the Klan appealed to the mass of white southerners as a means of ameliorating their defeat and ensuring a measure of political control. He describes that Klan as the produce of southern hostility toward ""any and all things"" associated with the uplifting of the black population. Tourgee's efforts in his books and in his life, were aimed at undermining racism and promoting egalitarian and democratic ideals. This reprint of The Invisible Empire brings to light a book that will interest scholars and general readers alike. It is a striking, contemporary look into the mind of the carpetbagger and the genesis of both the Ku Klux Klan and the political structure of the postwar South. Otto H. Olsen's introduction and notes place the work in its proper historical and literary context. His analysis of the documentary evidence supplied by various reliable sources gives Tourgee's narrative a more solid historical basis than it has heretofore had.

General

Imprint:	Louisiana State University Press
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	Library of Southern Civilization
Release date:	November 2001
First published:	November 2001
Editors:	Albion Winegar Tourg ee • Otto H. Olsen
Dimensions:	191 x 127 x 13mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	176
Edition:	New edition
ISBN-13:	978-0-8071-1462-9
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > World history > 1750 to 1900 Books > History > World history > 1750 to 1900
LSN:	0-8071-1462-6
Barcode:	9780807114629

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!