What is more remarkable, the men who were bringing a city out of this desert of shattered brick—raising warehouses from ruins, and hastily establishing stores in houses half finished and unroofed—were not Yankees, but pure Southerners.
Reid highlights the efforts of Southerners in rebuilding Atlanta, countering the expectation that only Northerners would lead such efforts.
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They should strive for distinction by economy, by industry, by sobriety, by patient perseverance in well-doing, by constant improvement of religious instruction, and by the constant practice of Christian virtues.
And it is both natural and right that colored Americans, entitled to the rights of citizens, should claim their exercise.
Never was there a problem more serious or difficult than that which is now before the Nation, as to this race, whose destiny has been confided to the wisdom and honor of our Government.
It is my firm conviction, that suffrage is not only the best security for freedom, but the most potent agent of amelioration and civilization.