Five years after the fall of slavery, there was a Black senator in Mississippi. Two years later, there was a Black governor in Louisiana. The next Black governor didn’t take office until 1990. How did we go from a war to end slavery to a system of legalized white supremacy? How did revisionist histories of Reconstruction inspire white supremacist movements around the world? How does the legacy of this period continue to impact society today?

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Four months after Election Day 1876, the presidency is still in doubt. With militias gathering and the country teetering on the brink of war, white southerners and allies of Presidential hopeful Rutherford Hayes reach a deal: the presidency for control of the South.

But what will it mean for 4 million formerly enslaved people and the prospects of a multiracial democracy? How will the failure of Reconstruction shape the future of the country? And what does it tell us about the path to progress today?

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The story of Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox in 1865 is a cherished part of our national myth. War-weary soldiers lay down their arms and embrace as brothers. But is the war really over?

The Union has survived and slavery has been abolished, but what will come next? What will freedom really mean? What role will the federal government play in protecting that freedom? The fight over these questions is just beginning, and the battle lines - in DC and across the country - are forming.

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