The Reconstruction was a transitional period of the United States; it marked the Return of the South to the Union and the rebuilding of the country. .
Perman examines the historical accounts and the literature produced in the 1950s and 60s about the controversial era of Reconstruction. This is a short synthesis of modern historical interpretation of the Reconstruction era and the varying issues that the American people faced. The book not only examines the ways in which modern historians have interpreted the events of Reconstruction but also sheds light on the neglected areas and which have not been discussed thoroughly by the majority of historians. Perman gives these previously neglected issues new significance, in a revisionist tone. For example he argues that African American has major role to play in the Reconstruction policies, moreover the Southern economy virtually halted because of the loss of a huge labor force. The issues Perman raises are crucial and give a new perspective of the post-civil war years.
According to Perman the major difficulty for the North in reconstructing America was the resentment of the South towards the North and their uncooperative behavior in the Reconstruction policies. Further the South did not want to give the slaves any rights, though they were free now, the Southern states adopted a policy of segregation and also devised laws which made African Americans a second class citizen. The economy of the South had been crippled because of the War, in addition the loss of the slaves the labor force had huge effect on the economy. Emancipated slaves had quickly fled to the neighboring states, while others became wage labors to their former masters. Perman discusses the role of African American in Reconstruction and says that one of the biggest challenges for the North was to provide educational facilities to the black population. Prior to the war, slaves" states had laws which prohibited any education for the slaves and the slaves after the emancipation with the exception of the few did not know how to read and write.