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I would argue that Foner deserves to be labeled in the communist category. I would say so for several reasons. First, [https://historyhalf.com/eric-foner-preaches-marxism-on-campus/ his dad and uncle were both members of the CPUSA, and we already know Foner is pretty progressive], as the information on his main page says. Although this does not necessarily suggest he is a communist, him being a progressive suggests that the apple likely didn't fall far from the tree. I think that itself is good evidence he technically has communist ties. Second, although he may have gotten a thing or two right about Reconstruction here or there, we must understand people like Foner, Zinn, and McPherson have a different view of Reconstruction than we do. While we view Reconstruction as the Republican Party trying to promote civil rights and accomplish Hamiltonian goals that had failed to be accomplished ever since Thomas Jefferson beat John Adams in 1800, Foner and his allies see it as a refounding of America, hence why he called it an "unfinished revolution". While he may have gotten a couple of things right about civil service reform and the free market, he also sees Reconstruction as sort of a Marxist revolution, even though it wasn't really and I certainly would have supported it had I been alive then. To people like Foner, America was founded as a systemically pro-slavery country in 1776, and the Constitution, which was ratified in 1789, is too. They see the Reconstruction Amendments and the process of Reconstruction as making a new constitution and a new America, one that was very progressive and that was supposed to be communist. Hence, to them Reconstruction is an unfinished revolution as we need to finish the job of making America fully progressive and woke. Obviously this is just very bad history and no one should agree with it, Reconstruction wasn't really any of these things, but that is how I would argue people like Foner see it. -[[User:Mr. Nationalist|Mr. Nationalist]] ([[User talk:Mr. Nationalist|talk]]) 00:29, May 15, 2023 (EDT)
 
I would argue that Foner deserves to be labeled in the communist category. I would say so for several reasons. First, [https://historyhalf.com/eric-foner-preaches-marxism-on-campus/ his dad and uncle were both members of the CPUSA, and we already know Foner is pretty progressive], as the information on his main page says. Although this does not necessarily suggest he is a communist, him being a progressive suggests that the apple likely didn't fall far from the tree. I think that itself is good evidence he technically has communist ties. Second, although he may have gotten a thing or two right about Reconstruction here or there, we must understand people like Foner, Zinn, and McPherson have a different view of Reconstruction than we do. While we view Reconstruction as the Republican Party trying to promote civil rights and accomplish Hamiltonian goals that had failed to be accomplished ever since Thomas Jefferson beat John Adams in 1800, Foner and his allies see it as a refounding of America, hence why he called it an "unfinished revolution". While he may have gotten a couple of things right about civil service reform and the free market, he also sees Reconstruction as sort of a Marxist revolution, even though it wasn't really and I certainly would have supported it had I been alive then. To people like Foner, America was founded as a systemically pro-slavery country in 1776, and the Constitution, which was ratified in 1789, is too. They see the Reconstruction Amendments and the process of Reconstruction as making a new constitution and a new America, one that was very progressive and that was supposed to be communist. Hence, to them Reconstruction is an unfinished revolution as we need to finish the job of making America fully progressive and woke. Obviously this is just very bad history and no one should agree with it, Reconstruction wasn't really any of these things, but that is how I would argue people like Foner see it. -[[User:Mr. Nationalist|Mr. Nationalist]] ([[User talk:Mr. Nationalist|talk]]) 00:29, May 15, 2023 (EDT)
 
:[EC] Notwithstanding his intentions, Foner's writings on Reconstruction have been highly beneficial as citations by conservatives to point the indisputable historical link between the Democratic Party and the Ku Klux Klan. Also, on the issue of Communism, [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Story_of_American_Freedom/YhHcaweX2tIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=robert+taft+internment+communist+party&pg=PA241&printsec=frontcover Foner pointed out that conservative Robert A. Taft stood up for the rights of Japanese Americans during World War II while the Communist Party did not.] His writings, while containing possible omissions (I believe he portrayed [[George H. Pendleton]] out-of-context as racially tolerant due to Pendleton's expedient alliance with the New Departure while making no mention of the Ohio Copperhead's racist history), can still be of great use. —[[User:LT|<code><span style="background:#FF8181">'''LT'''</span></code>]] '''''[[User talk:LT|<sup>(Matthew 26:52)</sup>]]''''' Monday, 00:34, May 15, 2023 (EDT)
 
:[EC] Notwithstanding his intentions, Foner's writings on Reconstruction have been highly beneficial as citations by conservatives to point the indisputable historical link between the Democratic Party and the Ku Klux Klan. Also, on the issue of Communism, [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Story_of_American_Freedom/YhHcaweX2tIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=robert+taft+internment+communist+party&pg=PA241&printsec=frontcover Foner pointed out that conservative Robert A. Taft stood up for the rights of Japanese Americans during World War II while the Communist Party did not.] His writings, while containing possible omissions (I believe he portrayed [[George H. Pendleton]] out-of-context as racially tolerant due to Pendleton's expedient alliance with the New Departure while making no mention of the Ohio Copperhead's racist history), can still be of great use. —[[User:LT|<code><span style="background:#FF8181">'''LT'''</span></code>]] '''''[[User talk:LT|<sup>(Matthew 26:52)</sup>]]''''' Monday, 00:34, May 15, 2023 (EDT)
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I agree certain things of his can used for good 100%, though I would argue that that is the case for many people on both the right and left. My main argument is that he has relatives who were communists whose political views do not seem to differ too much from his and I would argue he has his own interpretation of Reconstruction that tries to fit it into sort of a bourgeoisie/proletariat narrative, so I feel that the communism template is good to describe him, even if we may not put him in the communist category. He certainly sounds like a guy Joseph McCarthy would have wanted investigated in the 50s, and if that is the case I think you can make the argument he deserves the template. He also has written papers on why communism and socialism didn't succeed in the US, and says in ''Why There Is No Socialism'' that the failure of those movements to merge with the IWW [https://historyhalf.com/eric-foner-on-the-%E2%80%9Ctragedy%E2%80%9D-of-socialism%E2%80%99s-failure/ was the "tragedy" of those years.] So while he has made some good contributions over the years that can be cited for good use, he still is part of the far left in a way. -[[User:Mr. Nationalist|Mr. Nationalist]] ([[User talk:Mr. Nationalist|talk]]) 01:22, May 15, 2023 (EDT)
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:Hold up, progressive is correlated to Communist? That's funny, because I thought the Progressive Movement at its inception was fiercely anti-Communist; after all, it was a leftist civil war, competing for the same voter bases. —[[User:LT|<code><span style="background:#FF8181">'''LT'''</span></code>]] '''''[[User talk:LT|<sup>(Matthew 26:52)</sup>]]''''' Monday, 00:36, May 15, 2023 (EDT)
 
:Hold up, progressive is correlated to Communist? That's funny, because I thought the Progressive Movement at its inception was fiercely anti-Communist; after all, it was a leftist civil war, competing for the same voter bases. —[[User:LT|<code><span style="background:#FF8181">'''LT'''</span></code>]] '''''[[User talk:LT|<sup>(Matthew 26:52)</sup>]]''''' Monday, 00:36, May 15, 2023 (EDT)
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