02.08.18 Fleming, Walter L, Documentary History of Reconstruction, Political, Military, Social, Religious, Educational and Industrial, 1865 to the Present, published in two volumes, 1906 and 1907.

Notes Concerning the Author

Walter Lynwood Fleming (1874–1932) was a Southern historian who was among the Dunning School of scholars, which wrote the history of Political Reconstruction using modern historiographical techniques of the early 20th century.  The Dunning School approach dominated scholarly and popular depictions of the era from about 1900 to the 1950’s and that is the technique endorsed by the Society today, because more recent work distorts the truthful history of the era by applying the “omission fallacy” (purposefully leaving out important history so as to distort the meaning of what remains). 

For an overview of the historians and political reconstruction writings of the “Dunning School” click below:

https://southernhistorians.org/login/20-interpretations-and-commentary-by-members/20-03-interpretations-and-commentary-by-members-concerning-between-1850-and-1885/20-03-01/

Our Review

In Documentary History of Reconstruction, Fleming presents, in two volumes totaling 973 pages, a comprehensive sampling of hundreds of documents of the period of Political Reconstruction, many of which shed light on the issues of the day and how they were being dealt with.  This is a good reference work.  

Availability of these Volumes

These two volumes have been reprinted by Kessinger Publishing and are available in it’s Rare Reprints catalog.  We suggest Amazon for a used copy.

HRW