Topic summary
Post-Reconstruction
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Nadir of American race relations.
Historians differ on the period's date range. Logan's 1954 book The Negro in American Life and Thought defines "The Nadir, 1877–1901" when "the Negro's status in American society" fell lowest, arguing for 1901 as the turning point when race relations started to improve. Others, such as John Hope Franklin and Henry Arthur Callis, argue for ending dates as late as 1923. James W. Loewen (2006) argues for a later starting date, seeing the post-Reconstruction era as one of widespread hope for racial equity due to idealistic Northern support for civil rights. In Loewen's view, the true nadir only began when Northern Republicans ceased supporting Southern black people's rights around 1890, and it lasted until the American entry into World War II in 1941.