"Reconstruction: America After The Civil War," New On PBS

[appalachiablue]

Trailer. This new, 2-part series airs on PBS- WETA: Tuesday, April 9 & 16, 2019: 9PM EST.

About The Film: Henry Louis Gates Jr. presents a vital new 4-hour documentary series on Reconstruction: America After the Civil War. The series explores the transformative years following the American Civil War, when the nation struggled to rebuild itself in the face of profound loss, massive destruction, and revolutionary social change.

The twelve years that composed the post-war Reconstruction era (1865-77) witnessed a seismic shift in the meaning and makeup of our democracy, with millions of former slaves and free black people seeking out their rightful place as equal citizens under the law.

Though tragically short-lived, this bold democratic experiment was, in the words of W. E. B. Du Bois, a ‘brief moment in the sun’ for African Americans, when they could advance, and achieve, education, exercise their right to vote, and run for and win public office. More, https://www.pbs.org/weta/reconstruction/

[eppur_se_muova]

1. This is a vitally important nexus in US history that is never adequately covered in schools ...

Obviously, it's still very contentious, and public schools avoid controversy to avoid taxpayer backlash, so it just doesn't get covered adquately.

Try reading up on the Great Compromise of 1877 just to get a start.

[appalachiablue]

3. It's way past time to begin understanding this complex

Last edited Sat Apr 6, 2019, 10:59 AM - Edit history (1)

and significant period.

[rampartc]

2. i'd like to watch this

reconstruction was an important time. the failure of reconstruction, and the corrupt bargain that ended it, was incredibly harmful to the south and to the entire country.

[appalachiablue]

4. A complex, difficult period we need to learn much about.

[hedda_foil]

5. I have it set to record. It looks like it will be an important series.