Reconstruction: America After the Civil War

Explore 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.

Trailer

Reconstruction: America After the Civil War

Storyline

First Aired

2019-04-09
Last Aired

2019-04-16
Creator

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Genre

Documentary
Seasons

1
Episodes

4
Status

Ended
Language

English
Network

PBS

Keywords:

slavery reconstruction

Stream and watch Reconstruction: America After the Civil War

Season 1

1. Part 1, Hour 1

The aftermath of the Civil War was bewildering, exhilarating...and terrifying. African Americans had p...More

The aftermath of the Civil War was bewildering, exhilarating...and terrifying. African Americans had played a crucial role in saving the Union and now, as the country grappled with the terms and implications of Reconstruction, they struggled to breathe life into their hard-won freedom. The result was a second American Revolution.Less

55mins 2019-04-09

2. Part 1, Hour 2

Post-Civil War America was a new world. For African Americans living in the former Confederacy, Recons...More

Post-Civil War America was a new world. For African Americans living in the former Confederacy, Reconstruction was what historian W. E. B. Du Bois once described as their “brief moment in the sun.” But support for the social, economic, and political gains they achieved didn’t last long. A controversial presidential election in 1876 deals Reconstruction a grievous blow.Less

55mins 2019-04-09

3. Part 2, Hour 1

An examination of the years 1877-1896, a transitional period that saw visions of a “New South” set the...More

An examination of the years 1877-1896, a transitional period that saw visions of a “New South” set the stage for the rise of Jim Crow and the undermining of Reconstruction’s legal and political legacy. While some African Americans attempted to migrate, the vast majority remained in the South, where sharecropping, convict leasing, disfranchisement, and lynchings drew a “color line”.Less

55mins 2019-04-16

4. Part 2, Hour 2

The turn of the century is known as the ‘nadir’ of race relations, when white supremacy was ascendant ...More

The turn of the century is known as the ‘nadir’ of race relations, when white supremacy was ascendant and African Americans faced both physical and psychological oppression. Racist imagery saturated popular culture and Southern propaganda manipulated the story of the Civil War and Reconstruction. But African Americans found ways to fight back, using artistic expression to put forward a “New Negro.”Less