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[[File:Reconstruction1.jpg|left|250px|thumbnail|<i>America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877</i> by Eric Foner]]__NOTOC__
''This article was originally published on [http://videri.org/index.php?title=Reconstruction|Videri.org]''
As the United States entered the 20th century, Reconstruction slowly receded into popular memory. Historians began to debate its results. William Dunning and John W. Burgess led the first group to offer a coherent and structured argument. Along with their students at Columbia University, Dunning, Burgess, and their retinue created a historical school of thought known as the Dunning School. This interpretation of Reconstruction placed it firmly in the category of historical blunder.