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Tourgée was a Radical Republican Carpetbagger and political leader in post-Civil War North Carolina, where he championed rights for African Americans. Bricks Without Straw (1880) is Tourgée's fictionalized account of how Reconstruction was sabotaged. It is a chilling picture of violence against African Americans condoned, civil rights abrogated, constitutional amendments subverted, and electoral fraud institutionalized. Its plot revolves around a group of North Carolina freedpeople who strive to build new lives for themselves by buying land, marketing their own crops, setting up a church and school, and voting for politicians sympathetic to their interests, until Klan terrorism and the ascendancy of a white supremacist government reduce them to neo-slavery. --Amazon.com.
Albion W. Tourgée, a former Union officer from Ohio, came to North Carolina in search of economic opportunity after the collapse of the Confederacy. A young man and a fearless advocate of freedmen’s rights, he soon became a radical Republican leader and a prominent figure in local politics. After he quit the South in 1874, Tourgée published a succession of novels and stories which made him famous. Bricks Without Straw, one of his two best-selling novels, is not only a moving story but an important commentary on the Reconstruction process in the South. This new edition of the book remains faithful to the original, which appeared in 1880. In his introduction, Profession Otto H. Olsen gives a comprehensive evaluation of the book and its author, and their impact on the era of Reconstruction. Tourgée was an astute and reliable observer of the Reconstruction scene. In Bricks Without Straw he concentrated on the problems and the continuing dilemma of freed slaves. Led by Nimbus Ware, a “good enough nigger but might aggravating to the white folk,” and Eliab Hill, a crippled mulatto preacher, former slaves begin their postwar experience by availing themselves of the educational, economic, and political opportunities of freedom. But as soon as federal protection is withdrawn, their existence becomes precarious in the face of the Ku Klux Klan and resentful southern whites. The novel conveys a true sense of the trials and accomplishments of a severely handicapped black population caught in the oppressive racist environment of the postwar South. But, as Professor Olsen points out, the book’s pioneering—and still pertinent—literary achievement is its repudiation of racist stereotypes and its effective portrayal of the essential humanity of the freed black slaves.
What has happened to our youth? How did it all go south so fast? Hardly any of them give up a seat to an elderly person or a pregnant woman—and profanity against bus drivers, teachers, police officers and everyone else has become a rite of passage. Drug use and violence no longer strike fear in their hearts. Even worse, they’re entitled, believing everything should be theirs even if they have not worked hard for it. Meanwhile, parents have given up on parenting, preferring to turn over their children to the government or society to be reared. Al Bruno, Ph.D., a longtime educator and former chaplain, highlights the epidemics that have ravaged our youth in Bricks without Straw. He offers guidance on how to: take back our children, guide them, and teach them about the Lord; prepare children for the difficult life they will face as adults; teach children right from wrong; instill a love of learning in children. With youth crime surging, a waning work ethic, and children hurling insults at each other at every opportunity, the stakes could not be higher. Whether you’re an educator, parent, grandparent, or community leader, you’ll grasp the problem and find solutions in this book.
Step into the world of Albion W. Tourgée's political fiction masterpiece, 'Bricks Without Straw', as it unravels the tumultuous era of Reconstruction in the American South. Unlike its contemporaries, this novel daringly gives voice to emancipated slaves, shedding light on their struggles and aspirations. Through the eyes of Tourgée, a Radical Republican deeply involved in shaping North Carolina's destiny, witness the harrowing consequences of Klan terrorism, civil rights violations, and political corruption.
