Henry Louis Gates is one of today's most important public intellectuals and one of my favorite living historians.
His new and riveting history of the Reconstruction Era comes closer than any account I can think of in capturing the exhilarating optimism and soul-crushing cruelty of that long misunderstood chapter in American history. It was indeed a time of great progress for African-Americans, North and South. But there also was an ever-present undertow of simmering resentment and stubborn refusal on the part of some, North and South, to allow promise to flower.
"The American Experience" on PBS — one of the best shows on television along with the network's "Frontline" documentary series — brought Gates' book beautifully to life in a four-part series called "Reconstruction: America After the Civil War." This is Part I.
Go to library.highpoint.edu. Go to the main search field. Type reconstruction america after the civil war. Voila! And it's free.
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