About this video
Reconstruction means two things. It is the time period after the Civil War, usually dated 1865-1877, when Americans dealt with the consequences of the war and the end of slavery. It is also a long historical process, still going on, over the status of African Americans and the balance of power between national and state governments.
You'll be able to
- give the usual dates of the Reconstruction period.
- explain the two meanings of 'Reconstruction'.
- name the issues from Reconstruction that are still debated today.
Key words
- Reconstruction
- The period after the Civil War (about 1865-1877) and the longer process of deciding the status of African Americans and the powers of national and state governments.
- Historical process
- A long series of changes and debates over time, not just a fixed set of dates.
Transcript
[MUSIC] Reconstruction is the name given to basically two things at the same time. One is the time period right after the American Civil War. Usually, it's dated 1865-1877, but you can fudge on both ends there. But it's the period in which Americans tried to come to grips with the consequences of the Civil War, especially what the result of the end of slavery would be for American society and the preservation of the nation itself. Reconstruction should also be seen as a historical process. In other words, it's not just 112 year period. It's a long process in which the status of African Americans is fought out and discussed and debated, and that's still going on in a sense today. And the relative powers of the national government and the state governments are still being debated today frequently.
So reconstruction is both a time period and a long historical process of change coming after the American Civil War. [MUSIC]
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