Panel I: Reconstruction, the Second Founding

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This Joint Program of the Sections on Constitutional Law and Legal History will celebrate the 150th anniversary of Reconstruction, the second founding of our nation. The Reconstruction Amendments transformed our Constitution from a document that condoned the institution of slavery to one that prohibits slavery, recognizes the fundamental rights of free persons, and protects individual rights against state infringement. Thus, the Reconstruction Era represents a “new birth of freedom” which laid the groundwork for the twentieth century civil rights movement, the incorporation of the Bill of Rights against state governments, and other advances in human rights in our country. The first panel of this program will explore the history of the Reconstruction Era, including the antebellum antislavery movement, debates in the Reconstruction Congress, the contemporary meaning of the rights protected by Reconstruction measures and the abolition of slavery, and the ideology of free labor.

The Section held a virtual business meeting prior to the Annual Meeting.