I really enjoyed learning more about the “40 acres and a mule” promise (Special Field Order 15) and how the failure of the US to deliver on that promise ultimately created more violence and challenges for freedpeople seeking self-sustainability. I especially liked your discussion of the continuities of slavery through sharecropping in the post-Civil War era. Ultimately, this contributed to the broader limitations of Reconstruction and how it failed freedpeople. The commentary from Ben added great insight into this conversation as well, especially regarding the emotional and psychological harm coming from such failed promises. This was a strong and insightful conversation about an important, but failed promise that perhaps foreshadowed the later troubles of Reconstruction.
I really enjoyed learning more about the “40 acres and a mule” promise (Special Field Order 15) and how the failure of the US to deliver on that promise ultimately created more violence and challenges for freedpeople seeking self-sustainability. I especially liked your discussion of the continuities of slavery through sharecropping in the post-Civil War era. Ultimately, this contributed to the broader limitations of Reconstruction and how it failed freedpeople. The commentary from Ben added great insight into this conversation as well, especially regarding the emotional and psychological harm coming from such failed promises. This was a strong and insightful conversation about an important, but failed promise that perhaps foreshadowed the later troubles of Reconstruction.