A Fool's Errand (ePub)

Albion Winegar Tourgée (1838-1905) was an American soldier, lawyer, judge, novelist, and a key figure in the civil rights movement during the Reconstruction era. His career as an author is interwoven with his legal work and advocacy for racial equality, most notably exemplified in his writings which directly addressed the racial tensions and ideologies of post-Civil War America. His pivotal novel 'A Fool's Errand, by One of the Fools' (1879) offers an insightful critique of the Reconstruction and the insidious nature of white supremacy, drawing heavily from Tourgée's own experiences in the South during that tumultuous time. The novel, based on his own life, captures the adversities faced by those who supported the reconstruction efforts and contributed significantly to the genre of postbellum Southern literature, illustrating the social complexities and racial injustices of the era. Tourgée's influence extended beyond literature; he was also one of the attorneys for the plaintiff in the landmark civil rights case Plessy v. Ferguson, although the ruling established the 'separate but equal' doctrine that sanctioned racial segregation. His literary style typically combines realism with advocacy, aiming to edify and provoke thought regarding the moral and political challenges of his time. Tourgée's corpus is considered essential in understanding the climate of post-Civil War America, particularly from the perspective of those who fought, often in vain, for the rights of African Americans during Reconstruction.