A Companion to the Reconstruction Presidents, 1865 – 1881

A Companion to Reconstruction Presidents presents a series of original essays that explore a variety of important issues, themes, and debates associated with the presidencies of Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Rutherford B. Hayes. Chapters feature analyses of each president individually as well as taking a comparative look at their time in office. Key topics include these presidents’ political careers; foreign policy; domestic policy; military history; and social context. Featuring contributions from presidential scholars and leading historians, essays represent a dedicated, systematic study that fills an important void in scholarship while revealing a wealth of insights into issues of presidential leadership during this watershed moment in American history.

Edward Frantz is Associate Professor of History at the University of Indianapolis. He is the author of The Door of Hope: Republican Presidents and the First Southern Strategy, 1877–1933 (2011).