Please log in or create a free account to purchase your course.

Reconstruction is a neglected period in American education. This is not because it is unimportant—this course will make the case that it is perhaps the most important era in terms of the creation of modern America—but because it is divisive and contested. Resistance to Reconstruction began immediately, never ceased, and has over the years been quite successful. There is resistance to the ideals of Reconstruction, and there is resistance to the teaching of Reconstruction. This course will place Reconstruction and the resistance to it in historical context, illuminating how Reconstruction broke from America’s past, how its radicalism was undermined and its promise beaten down, and how the struggles of that era continue today.

COURSE CONTENT

• Twelve lectures
• Primary source readings to complement the lectures
• A certificate of completion for 15 hours of professional development

Readings: The suggested readings for each session will be listed in the “Resources” link on the course site. You are not required to read or purchase any print materials. The quizzes are based on the lectures.

Course Access: After your purchase, you may access your course by signing into the Gilder Lehrman website and clicking on the My Courses link, which can be found under My Account in the navigation menu.

Questions? Please view our FAQs page or email selfpacedcourses@gilderlehrman.org.

LEAD SCHOLAR: Kermit Roosevelt

Kermit Roosevelt III is the David Berger Professor for the Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania. A frequent op-ed contributor and media expert, his work has appeared in the New York Times, the Foreign Policy Research Institute, the Washington Times, TIME, Newsweek, and The Hill, among many other outlets. Roosevelt is a board member of the Theodore Roosevelt Library and Museum Foundation, the US Presidential Scholars Foundation, and the National Constitution Center’s Coalition of Freedom.