William A. Dunning revisited: The mind or malice of Reconstruction?

Historian William A. Dunning was responsible for the first scholarly treatment of the Reconstruction era. The terms which his contemporaries used to describe him differ strikingly from those historians may choose today. Since the 1930s, American historiography has reflected the new emphasis on sociology and psychology with a radical shift in subject matter away from the traditional political focus. Surely, certain truths are known to the modern historian which were not known to those who lived earlier. However, to discard the insights of one generation of historians is, perhaps, to ignore some of history's most important resources.