David Prior has written a fascinating and valuable study of America's Reconstruction within the context of sweeping domestic and international change. Between Freedom and Progress explores the impact of the development of mass communication, economics, evolving political and cultural thought, societal realignment, science and pseudo-science in framing Reconstruction in America."--Orville Vernon Burton, author of The Age of Lincoln "With a fascinating series of unexpected case studies, Prior shows that global sensibilities were integral to the struggle over Reconstruction. Between Freedom and Progress is a tightly conceptualized, original, and stimulating history of political ideology. Its attention to tension and inconsistency make it an especially valuable contribution to the history of the Civil War era and the United States in the world."--Alison Efford, author of German Immigrants, Race, and Citizenship in the Civil War Era