All to often, the history of the Civil War is taught in isolation, without reference to Reconstruction or its broader historical implications. Such an aproach obscures the most telling consequences of America's greatest conflict and the links between the 1860s and 1870s and our modern world. While the failures of Reconstruction led to generations of racial injustice, its successes paved the way for the eventual emergence of the modern Civil Rights Movement. Written by the award-winning authors of "Who Built America?", this work is an attempt to retell this pivotal episode in American history for high-school students. It examines the ways that "ordinary" people - men and women, black and white, Northern and Southern - experienced and helped shape the major events of the era. It highlights the vital role of African Americans, a group whose actions and achievements in this period are often overlooked, although they stood at the centre of national debate. This book contains primary historical documents, including letters, speeches, and excerpts from novels and newspapers.It offers students a glimpse of the war and its aftermath - the struggle to rebuild the South and construct a new society.