The PBS program “American Experience” is a wonderful series of documentaries about the history of the United States. The series also has a remarkable online presence, often creating unique sites for each episode of the series.
The website for the episode concerning the Reconstruction – the era after the Civil War in which the United States government attempted to both reunify the Confederate and Union states into one nation, and incorporate former slaves into society as new citizens – contains some wonderful resources for learning more about this time period. This episode, entitled “Reconstruction: The Second Civil War,” first aired in 2003. It is also available for purchase on DVD.Among the resources contained on the companion site are an 1870 map of the United States, a site on Black Legislators including a mini-documentary and primary sources, and a teacher’s guide to the program.
The site also allows you to watch the entire episode online. This is highly recommended to all researchers, as the documentary explores the era and provides context to your research in this time period.
PBS created a two-part podcast highlighting this episode. Click below to download:
For a very good introduction to the Reconstruction era by one of its leading historians, read A Short History of Reconstruction
by Eric Foner.
by Eric Foner.
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