Spanning the momentous years from 1863 to 1877, Reconstruction tracks the extraordinary stories of ordinary Americans — Southern and Northern, white and black — as they struggle to shape new lives for themselves in a world turned upside down.
Reconstruction after the Civil War promised black citizens of the United States equal rights under the law and opportunities unheard of during the slavery era. A group of powerful white New Orleans' residents would fight the changes and win.
When he was nominated by the Republican Party for president in 1876, Hayes' resume included service as a Civil War officer, a congressman and a governor of Ohio.
New Orleans: the utterly original American city that lies at the mouth of the mighty Mississippi and at the beating heart of the great American experiment. Walled in on almost all sides by water, pressed together by the demands and dangers of geography, the crowded streets of New Orleans have always been a laboratory where the social forces that characterize American life play out in dramatic and, at times, disastrous fashion. Over the course of two provocative hours, American Experience tells the story of this remarkable city.
Republicans' answer to the problem of the black vote was to add a Constitutional amendment that guaranteed black suffrage in all states, and no matter which party controlled the government.
German-born political cartoonist Thomas Nast gave America some of its most enduring symbols: the Republican elephant, the Democratic donkey, and Uncle Sam.Â
He's one of America's most cherished myths... and one of its most wrong-headed. America's Robin Hood who robbed not only the rich but the poor and defenseless as well, always saving the treasure for himself.
