"In this engrossing new book, Robert S. Levine has penned a nuanced and detailed study of the âhopes and frustrations of Reconstructionâ during Andrew Johnsonâs presidency. While focusing on the relationship between Johnson and Frederick Douglass, the author also includes the views of numerous African American writers who witnessed Johnsonâs transformation from self-styled âMoses to Black Peopleâ to betrayer of Reconstruction. <em>The Failed Promise</em> is a lesson for our times as we continue to confront our nationâs unfulfilled promise of racial equality."
- Henry Louis Gates, Jr.,
"An engrossing account... Levine poignantly captures a moment when the future of the United States was up for grab... In so doing, the author suggests the tragic consequences of failure and the way in which those consequences are still very much with us."
- Randall Fuller - The Wall Street Journal,