Amanda Laury Kleintop

Amanda Laury Kleintop, an assistant professor of history at Elon University, dives into her book about the fight for compensated emancipation after the Civil War. She reveals how Southern demands for financial compensation were initially ignored, leading to significant historical ramifications. Kleintop discusses the legal battles surrounding Section 4 of the Fourteenth Amendment and how Lost Cause narratives have obscured the truth behind these compensation claims. Her deep archival research uncovers the complex relationship between race, reparations, and memory in America.

Amanda Laury Kleintop, an assistant professor of history at Elon University and author of "Counting the Cost of Freedom," delves into the contentious battle over compensated emancipation after the Civil War. She reveals how former Confederates demanded federal compensation for enslaved people, shaping policies that led to Section 4 of the Fourteenth Amendment. Kleintop also discusses the erasure of this history through Lost Cause narratives and its implications, highlighting the ongoing struggle for reparations today.