America’s recent political upheaval has made “Reconstruction” a new buzzword, but if you’re like most, you still have more questions than answers on what it means.

It is the least understood topic in America’s past. Study after study shows that most Americans know next to nothing about this crucial 12-year period following the Civil War. This paucity of knowledge exists in an inverse relationship to the significance of the era.

If you do not understand Reconstruction, I would argue, you do not understand what it means to claim American citizenship. From Constitutional rights to the basic question of “What is the ideal relationship between a person and her government?” one cannot understand America’s present conflicts without understanding what is arguably the true beginning of the nation we live in today. 

In the spirit of collective understanding, let's join for a chance to uncover the history of the reconstruction era and trace its impact to our world.