Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise
Reconstruction begins where, for most Americans, the story of the Civil War ends: The North is victorious and slavery is abolished. But what happened next was one of the most important decades in American history, a moment when our country grappled with its original sin and imagined — and briefly enacted — a more perfect union. Drawing from archives, letters, diaries, court records, eyewitness testimonies and some of America’s most accomplished scholars and storytellers, the series explores this unprecedented historical moment in rich, kaleidoscopic detail. It unpacks a time when a determined band of reformers attempted to radically reimagine American society — from the Constitution to the roots of its economy to the very nature of citizenship itself.
Episodes
The Forever Culture Wars
Comedian Wyatt Cenac considers how movies, cartoons, and even theme park rides have shaped our cultural memory of Reconstruction. Plus, President Obama joins Malcolm to discuss why our current world owes everything to this era and how Reconstruction provides a roadmap to a better future.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/priv
A History of Democracy, Revised
Soon after Reconstruction began to wind down, American historians wrote the era off as a failure. But that narrative didn’t emerge by accident — it was engineered by a celebrated historian named William Dunning, whose denigration of Black civil rights dominated textbooks for decades. Journalist Jelani Cobb reveals why the “Dunning School” remained dominant until the 1930s, when scholars i
Peace Among The Whites
Following one of the most contentious presidential elections in US history, representatives of the North and South met in a posh Washington DC hotel. The result of their backdoor dealings spelled the end of progressive efforts at Reconstruction and the beginning of a new era in the South: Jim Crow. President Obama and Malcolm dissect one of the most consequential compromises in American h
The Betrayal of Frederick Douglass
In 1874, with emancipation and Black citizenship finally written into the Constitution, Frederick Douglass set his sights on the next frontier of freedom: economic self-reliance. But in this pursuit, he was ensnared in a disastrous financial fraud by trusted white allies. Kai Wright shares the story of this scandal that handed Douglass’ enemies prime ammunition against interracial democra
Truth Without Reconciliation
As Black citizens exercised newly won rights in America, a vigilante backlash shook the South. In response, Congress summoned more than 500 witnesses to testify about the violence they had experienced. Historian Kidada Williams takes us back in time to those seven extraordinary months — what became known as the “Klan hearings”— when lawmakers mounted the only official effort in US history
Nine Black Men
Alabama State University is one of America's earliest historically Black colleges. Historian Kellie Carter Jackson shares the institution’s hidden origins. Founded during Reconstruction by nine formerly enslaved men, the story reveals a fierce struggle over education — a battle that unfolded at the very moment Black Americans were gaining political power for the first time.See Privacy Pol
Love and Sacrifice
In 1865, Rebecca Primus left the comfort of her Northern home to help establish a school in the South. She exchanged intimate, sometimes romantic letters with her friend Addie Brown. Their correspondence offers a window into a remarkable relationship. Writer Ashley C. Ford breaks down these letters with scholar Farah Jasmine Griffin, discovering how the letters illuminate Black life on bo
After the War
Frederick Douglass was one of the few activists to see his goal achieved within his lifetime — the abolition of slavery. Journalist Kai Wright shares how Douglass discovered a new purpose after President Lincoln’s assassination: campaigning for a bold new Constitution. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my
Prologue: Malcolm Gladwell and President Obama
Malcolm Gladwell and President Barack Obama introduce us to one of the most chaotic, complicated, and fascinating times in American history, revealing why Reconstruction still defines our country today.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Introducing Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise
Follow Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise on Audible or wherever you get your podcasts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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