Jun 28, 2026
In this, the first of two episodes, we will talk to Professor Dylan C. Penningroth, author of Before the Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights. In this groundbreaking work, Professor Pennigroth explains how former slaves gained the right to make and enforce contracts, to sue, be parties, and give...
Apr 3, 2026
In this concluding episode on the Civil War and the Constitution we will dicuss the 15th Amendment and the end of Reconstruction. We will examine the many factors that made the crafting of the 15th so difficult, the ratification process, and the efforts to undermine its effectivneess. We will also look at the reasons...
Jan 3, 2026
In this episode we will talk about the Civil Rights Act of 1866, but primarily we will dicuss the most impactful of the Constitution's Amendments, the Fourteenth. Specifically, the circumstances in the post-war south that compelled its creation, the role it played in Reconstruction, the men who drafted it, the many...