Broken Promise and Reconstruction
The most important fiscal turn is the promise of forty acres and its immediate rescission, followed by Black Codes and the abandonment of Reconstruction; the injury is a denied capital base, not only a broken phrase.
This entry is written for visitors who need both clarity and depth: the historical record, the present consequence, and the repair claim should remain visible together. Full cash repair is not treated here as a slogan; it is the financial center of a broader duty to close the harms carried through wealth, land, housing, education, health, safety, and inheritance.
Years: 1865-1877