The Promise and the Thwarting of Reconstruction

This week, we’re sharing a past program on the Civil War and Reconstruction and public memory. Leading civil war historians Eric Foner, Thavolia Glymph, and Kate Masur explore the questions: How do we define Reconstruction? What was that period like politically and economically, for ordinary Americans and for the country’s leaders? How can we better understand the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments by contextualizing them in the history of Reconstruction? And how does that history connect to modern issues surrounding racial inequality, Confederate monuments, and more. Sherilynn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, moderates.

This program was presented at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund in partnership with the Thurgood Marshall Institute.

If you enjoyed this constitutional conversation and want to hear more from the panelists, please check out their other appearances on Live at America’s Town Hall:

• Eric Foner on the Second Founding
• Women and the Civil War: The Untold Stories featuring Thavolia Glymph and Kate Masur

Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.