Question

some of the language historians use to describe reconstruction still reflects the point of view of ex confederates who spoke of "redemption." What other names might we use for that process? What difference if any would it make if scholars called it something else?

Answer 1

Redemption was the point of view taken by ex-Confederates that saw the new leaders of Reconstruction as Northern "carpetbaggers" who needed to be ousted. They believed that the South, as it is said, would "rise again". We could call them a lot of other things - we could say that they were recalcitrant, that they were unreformed, or arguably, that they were even traitors to the unified Nation. But certainly, using a different set of language would make sense, because there was nothing "redeemed" about these people.