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Artwork for Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise

Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise

Higher Ground Audio
Reconstruction
Frederick Douglass
Freedmen's Bank
Reconstruction (american History)
Ku Klux Klan
Compromise Of 1877
Malcolm Gladwell
Audible
History Channel
Freedmen's Bureau
Florida
Voting Rights
Reconstruction (united States)
Birth Of a Nation
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Andrew Johnson
14th Amendment
15th Amendment
Barack Obama
Washington, D.C.

Reconstruction begins where, for most Americans, the story of the Civil War ends: The North is victorious and slavery is abolished. But what happened next was one of the most important decades in American history, a moment when our country grappled with its original sin and imagined — and briefly enacted — a more perfect union.

Drawing from archives, letters, diaries, court records, eyewitness t... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes10Founded4 months ago
Number of ListenersCategories
HistorySociety & Culture

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Artwork for Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise

Latest Episodes

Comedian Wyatt Cenac considers how movies, cartoons, and even theme park rides have shaped our cultural memory of Reconstruction. Plus, President Obama joins Malcolm to discuss why our current world owes everything to this era and how Reconstruction ... more

Following one of the most contentious presidential elections in US history, representatives of the North and South met in a posh Washington DC hotel. The result of their backdoor dealings spelled the end of progressive efforts at Reconstruction and t... more

Soon after Reconstruction began to wind down, American historians wrote the era off as a failure. But that narrative didn’t emerge by accident — it was engineered by a celebrated historian named William Dunning, whose denigration of Black civil right... more

In 1874, with emancipation and Black citizenship finally written into the Constitution, Frederick Douglass set his sights on the next frontier of freedom: economic self-reliance. But in this pursuit, he was ensnared in a disastrous financial fraud by... more

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Recent Guests

Jelani Cobb
Dean of the Columbia Journalism School; historian featured discussing Reconstruction
Columbia University
Episode: A History of Democracy, Revised
Eric Foner
Historian; key figure in modern Reconstruction scholarship
Columbia University
Episode: A History of Democracy, Revised
Justine Hill Edwards
Historian who wrote about wealth-building by Black people during Reconstruction
University of Virginia
Episode: The Betrayal of Frederick Douglass
Kidada Williams
Historian and author focusing on Black Americans during Reconstruction; author of Seizing Freedom
University/Scholar (as discussed in episode)
Episode: Truth Without Reconciliation
Robin DG. Kelley
Professor and renowned scholar of interracial political movements in the South
UC Berkeley
Episode: Truth Without Reconciliation
Kellie Carter Jackson
Chair of Africana Studies at Wellesley College
Wellesley College - Africana Studies
Episode: Nine Black Men
Joseph Caver
Local historian who helped uncover Alabama State University's origin story
Alabama State University archives
Episode: Nine Black Men
Crystal Sanders
Professor at Emory University, author on Black higher education
Emory University
Episode: Nine Black Men
Jelani Favors
Professor at North Carolina A&T, author on Black higher education
North Carolina A&T
Episode: Nine Black Men

Host

Malcolm Gladwell
Best-selling author and host known for guiding deep-dive explorations of American history and culture.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 67 ratings
  • Fascinating History

    While I attended high school and college in MD, I learned very little about reconstruction. This podcast is addictive and eye opening. I urge people to download and listen to this series. For history buffs or anyone interested in learning information about America’s past that is relevant to what we as Americans face today.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Saucy35
    United Statesa month ago
  • Excellent and interesting

    Sending to everyone

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    BC311
    United Statesa month ago
  • A well-produced US history snapshot

    I would recommend this podcast to any looking for a compelling and deeply researched history podcast. Looking forward to the next episodes!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    bookish_panda
    United Statesa month ago
  • Timely and Timeless

    Racism is not a thing of the past; it’s rooted in our past. Legal discrimination and white terror is largely over, but the promise of equality is still being fulfilled socially, economically, and spiritually. President Obama, quoting our Constitution, correctly observed that we are “continuing to perfect our Union.” Malcolm walks us through the first hundred and fifty years since slavery to uncover the source of our continued struggle today in a factual, non partisan, and wholly American story.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Daddyhusky
    United Statesa month ago
  • Finally revisiting reconstruction and giving it its due!

    Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise is starting out to be phenomenal listen. We often skip right from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement in our history classes, but this podcast brilliantly fills in the gaps of that crucial, chaotic, and deeply important era in between.

    One of my favorite authors, Malcolm Gladwell serves as a phenomenal guide, and the way the production weaves in archival letters, diaries, court records, and eyewitness accounts makes history feel incredibly present an... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    SteveBKind
    United Statesa month ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Engaging, deeply researched history with archival clarity.
Top-notch production mixing scholars with narrative storytelling.
High-quality historical narratives that connect past to present debates.
Occasional criticism of host; episodes still offer strong context and interviews.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#22
United States/History
Apple Podcasts
#59
United Kingdom/History
Apple Podcasts
#66
Canada/History
Apple Podcasts
#86
Australia/History
Apple Podcasts
#137
Italy/History
Apple Podcasts
#178
Germany/History

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Truth Without Reconciliation
Q: What did Congress do in response to this violence?
Congress authorized investigations, passed the Enforcement Acts, and used the investigations to document violence in the Clan Hearings, although federal prosecutions and indictments remained relatively limited.
Truth Without Reconciliation
Q: Can you give me some sense of the scale of the violence here?
There were thousands killed during Reconstruction, with estimates around 54,000, roughly the size of a small to mid-sized town over about three decades, underscoring how pervasive and systemic the violence was.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise

What is Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This series examines the Reconstruction era as a formative moment when citizens debated who counts, who votes, and how a multiracial democracy might function in America. Across episodes, conversations weave archival materials with scholarly context to explore how Black educators, political actors, and everyday people navigated the promises and failures of Reconstruction, the long shadow of Jim Crow, and ongoing questions about citizenship and equality. Noteworthy is the blend of high-profile hosts with respected historians and personal storytelling, plus the use of letters, diaries, and court records to illuminate how past debates about democracy continue to shape today's civic debates and policy questions.

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Which podcasts are similar to Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise:

1. Revisionist History: The Staten Island Problem
2. Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford
3. Big Lives
4. First America
5. The Last Archive

How many episodes of Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise are there?

Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise launched 4 months ago and published 10 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise?

Recent guests on Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise include:

1. Jelani Cobb
2. Eric Foner
3. Justine Hill Edwards
4. Kidada Williams
5. Robin DG. Kelley
6. Kellie Carter Jackson
7. Joseph Caver
8. Crystal Sanders

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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