Oct 5, 2017
MacArthur Fellow and leading American historian Prof. Richard White turns our attention to some of the most ignored and ignoble years in America’s history: Reconstruction and the Gilded Age. The nation was deeply divided across religious, racial, economic, and political lines (sound familiar?), leading to three decades (1865-1896) ridden with racial violence, bitter labor strikes, political corruption, and rapidly widening wealth disparities.
In this latest installment of the award winning Oxford History of the United States series The Republic for Which It Stands: The United States during Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, 1865-1896, Richard White offers a fresh, unblinking look at the challenges America faced during these times and the vigorous efforts made—not from political leadership, but from grassroots coalitions—to effect real reform. With an integrated interpretation of an era that resonates with so many of us today, White casts this period as the seedbed for Modern America.
Recorded live at The Summit by Town Hall Seattle on Friday, September 29, 2017