"Historical Dictionary of the Civil War and Reconstruction, with more than 800 entries covering the significant events, persons, politics, and economic and social themes in the U.S. Civil War and Reconstruction, is a research tool for all levels of readers from high school and up. The extensive chronology, introductory essay, and comprehensive bibliography introduce and lead the reader through the military and nonmilitary actions of one of the most pivotal events in American history." "Reconstruction, the focus of this volume, was a period following the Civil War and construed in various ways by the individuals involved, many of whom had little concern for the impact of their acts on others, and even fewer who were interested in the plight of the newly enfranchised blacks, for whom the war had supposedly been fought. While the states were once again "united," many of the postwar efforts divided different segments of the population and failed to achieve their goals in an era too often remembered for carpetbaggers and scalawags and Congressional imbroglios and incompetent government."--BOOK JACKET.