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Why Did Reconstruction Fail?

August 24, 2026 · 49 min

Show notes

Over the course of this series, we've discussed the extraordinary promise of Reconstruction, as well as the relentless attacks these efforts came under. In this final episode, we're stepping back from the events themselves to ask the biggest question of all: why did Reconstruction fail?


For today's episode, we welcome Prof. Aaron Sheehan-Dean of Louisiana State University back onto the show. His works include ‘Why Confederates Fought: Family and a Nation in Civil War Virginia’ and most recently ‘Fighting with the Past: How Seventeenth Century History Shaped the American Civil War’.


Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.


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All music from Epidemic Sounds.


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