Forgotten Alternatives Summary and Analysis

Once Redemption (the Compromise of 1877 ending Reconstruction) occurred, and Southerners were again in control of their states, there were choices regarding the relative status of whites and blacks, because there was still great flexibility in their relationships. In fact, between 1870 and 1900, while schools and other public institutions remained segregated, there was also a gradually expanding comfort level with integrated housing and privately-owned facilities. Blacks were tolerated and even accepted on public transport, as well as in the voting booth, on police forces, and in many public facilities. Some distinctions among states were noted, however. The older Eastern coastal states were more tolerant of racial proximity than the newer states further inland. All these phenomena were really outgrowths of the previous intimacy and proximity of the races during slavery.

At the same time, other phenomena were also appearing, namely brutality...