GBH Openvault

American Experience; Reconstruction: The Second Civil War; Interview with Edward L. Ayers, Historian, University of Virginia

Part of Reconstruction Interviews.

2004

Ayers talks about the importance of Reconstruction in American History, changing identities, William T. Sherman, economic loss to slaveholders, Sherman's March, devastation to infrastructure across the south, Kate Stone, the south as an advanced and rich society for white people, whites thinking God is punishing them, the sight of black soldiers.

Series

American Experience

Program

Reconstruction: The Second Civil War

Program Number

1602 and 1603

Title

Interview with Edward L. Ayers, Historian, University of Virginia

Series Description

As television's longest-running, most-watched history series, American Experience brings to life the incredible characters and epic stories that helped form this nation. Now in its eighteenth season, the series has produced over 180 programs and garnered every major broadcast award.

Program Description

In the tumultuous years after the Civil War (1863-77), America grappled with how to rebuild itself, how to successfully bring the South back into the Union and how to bring former slaves into the life of the country. Dion Graham narrates. 1602 Revolution--In the chaos following the Civil War, a revolution takes shape in the South. Former slaves move to take control of their lives, setting up their own communities, churches and schools. Southern whites, deeply threatened, resist often violently. Congress finally acts to stem the violence and safeguard blacks rights, and passes Radical Reconstruction, imposing military rule on the South and giving black men the vote. 1603 Retreat--Radical Reconstruction, the worlds first large-scale experiment in interracial democracy, sweeps across the South; white resistance flares into violence. Northern commitment to Reconstruction wanes as the white Southern version of Reconstruction, the lost cause, captures the Northern imagination. By l877, Reconstruction is over, but it has laid the groundwork, both in legislation and in black memory, for the great Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s.

Duration

0:45:09

Asset Type

Raw video

Media Type

Video

Topics

History

Creators

Deane, Elizabeth (Producer)

Contributors

Ayers, Edward L. (Interviewee)

Publication Information

WGBH Educational Foundation

Rights Summary

Rights Holder: WGBH Educational Foundation

Citation

Chicago: “American Experience; Reconstruction: The Second Civil War; Interview with Edward L. Ayers, Historian, University of Virginia,” 2004, GBH Archives, accessed December 3, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_B7FE7C911B3E41B4BF2B51BC6A52D3C0.

MLA: “American Experience; Reconstruction: The Second Civil War; Interview with Edward L. Ayers, Historian, University of Virginia.” 2004. GBH Archives. Web. December 3, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_B7FE7C911B3E41B4BF2B51BC6A52D3C0>.

APA: American Experience; Reconstruction: The Second Civil War; Interview with Edward L. Ayers, Historian, University of Virginia. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_B7FE7C911B3E41B4BF2B51BC6A52D3C0