Often defined as the period between the end of the war and 1877, reconstruction is an era that, to me, seems to be given less than its due when talking about American History. This podcast will address the major elements of the three phases of reconstruction: War Time Reconstruction, Presidential Reconstruction, and Congressional Reconstruction. I also look at Reconstruction and the rise of racism through vigilantism, how reconstruction changed women's roles south (and how that change may have contributed to the success of the women's suffrage movement), the development of the Lost Cause Narrative, and the growth of the New South. I conclude with a brief discussion of how historian's view of the Civil War has changed over time. 

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If you were to ask most people about the worst maritime disaster in American History, you would probably be told it was the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. A few might talk about the sinking of the Battleship Arizona on Pearl Harbor Day. A few others might list the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, which some argue led to our entry into the First World War. But only a few, a very few of the most knowledgeable would mention the 1865 sinking of the Sultana, near Memphis, Tennessee. Although virtually forgotten, the Sultana disaster has recently experienced an resurgence in interest. Besides reporting on the disaster from a very personal perspective, this podcasts addresses the factors that lead to the disaster itself, how the disaster embodies the spirit of reconciliation the country so needed at the end of the Civil War and some of the reasons it took so long to be recognized in the annals of American History 

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If you look at virtually any United States History book, any book, video, film, poem, or whatever, you will be told that the civil war ended with Robert E. Lee's surrender to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. But did it really? How do you define the end of a War, particularly a civil war. Most people will look at the end when the peace treaty is signed, but in a civil war there is really no peace treaty. So does it end with the first fighting force that surrenders, or the last? Does it end with the last battle? Does it end after all of these events, or when the goal of the war was accomplished? Or does it end when someone with the political power to say so says it has ended? This podcast explores the period between Appomattox Courthouse and the Presidential Proclamation announcing the end of the war. The nation, both of them, were tired of war. It was obvious to all that the Confederacy could not endure much longer. 

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Although Europe largely panned the process of reconstructing the south after the Civil War, the end of the war had a broad based significant impact throughout the World. This podcast describes key elements of this influence.

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The various tools equipment and strategies used for the first time during the civil war was extraordinary. This podcast reviews some of the most significant applications of weaponry, tools, techniques and other innovations that can be used to justify the appellation of "the world's first modern war". Some of the technological developments first used in the war include iron clad vessels, the repeating rifle, the Gatling Gun, the use of canned goods, and ambulance's. I also discuss several military strategies and tactics that may not have been new, but were applied differently than previous wars including trench warfare, and variations on the concept of total war. Finally I discuss related issues like military record keeping, soldier's diet and medical care. The podcast is not intended to be a comprehensive discussion of the topic. Hopefully you will learn enough to wet your appetite to learn more on your own.

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A discussion of the role slavery played in the economics of the American Civil War as it related to international Relations.

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One of a series on Europe's interest in the American Civil War. This episode focuses on the concepts of nationalism and ethnic unity as two closely related factors in Europe's interest in the Civil War. This podcast begins with a discussion of Nationalism as an ideology. I pay particular attention to European concepts of nationalism of the period that focused on the need for monarch, or a single head of state, for nationalism to develop. This concept is compared to North American arguments for the evolving concepts of ethnic and geographic nationalism. Both concepts that permit nationalistic attitudes to develop independent of the type of head of state. 

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A short introductory podcast discussing the value of the American Civil War to the rest of the world -- especially Europe.

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