"This is a story about America and the shaping of its democratic values during the Reconstruction era, one of our country's most pivotal and misunderstood chapters. In this stirring account of the Civil War, emancipation, and the struggle for rights and reunion that followed, one of the premier US scholars delivers a book that is as illuminating as it is timely. Real-life accounts of heroism, grit, betrayal, and bravery drive this book's narrative, spanning America's history from 1861 to 1915 and drawing parallels with to today from acclaimed author, critic, and inaugural MacArthur Genius Henry Louis Gates, Jr."--Page [4] of cover.

Let freedom ring! -- Men of color to arms! -- Fraught with great difficulty -- Restored -- The ballot with which to save ourselves -- Go on with your oppressions -- White reign of terror -- To the storm, to the whirlwind -- Moral weakness in high places -- Mighty current.