Reconstruction in Louisiana after 1868

The opening of this scholarly work immerses listeners in the turbulent early years of Louisiana’s Reconstruction, beginning with the Union’s first attempts to restore civil authority after the Civil War. It traces how military governors, political clubs, and emerging leaders such as Michael Hahn navigated a fragile balance between loyalist ambition and the lingering grip of former slaveholders, all while confronting Lincoln’s “Ten‑Percent” plan and the nation’s evolving stance on emancipation.

Through vivid detail, the thesis reveals the snap decisions that led to a provisional constitution, the contentious debates over suffrage, and the uneasy legitimacy of a government confined to Union‑held territories. Listeners will hear how the state’s fledgling legislature, the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment, and the rise of radical Republicans set the stage for a deepening struggle over power, identity, and the future of the newly freed Black population. The narrative stops short of the later, more explosive clashes, leaving ample room for curiosity about what followed.