Experiments in Freedom: The United States and African Americans, 1865-1900

About this course:

The Reconstruction era was a period in United States history following the American Civil War; dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of abolishing slavery; and reintegrating the former Confederate States of America into the United States. It overlapped the Gilded Age, which was characterized by rapid economic growth, a flood of immigration and scandalous politics. In this course, we examine the African American experience during the Reconstruction era and the Gilded Age with special focus on federal efforts to empower ex-slaves and freedmen’s efforts at holding onto their newly emancipated status in the face of implacable southern opposition. This is one of the darker chapters in US history; however, it is also one marked by extraordinary heroism and courage by both blacks and whites who sought an unprecedented social revolution in the former confederate states. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course.