The death of Reconstruction: race, labor, and politics in the post-Civil War North 1865-1901

Historians overwhelmingly have blamed the demise of Reconstruction on Southerners' persistent racism.

Richardson argues instead that class, along with race, was critical to Reconstruction's end.

She reveals a growing backlash from Northerners against those who believed that inequalities should be addressed through working-class action, and the emergence of an American middle class that championed individual productivity and saw African-Americans as a threat to their prosperity.