Lecture 4. Reconstruction (continued)

American History: From Emancipation to the Present (AFAM 162)

After the massive cultural shift that the South endured under Reconstruction, white Southerners were determined to fight back. In this lecture, Professor Holloway discusses the complicated meaning of Redemption as white Southerners rose up, reclaimed, and redeemed that which they thought was theirs. During this era, African Americans experienced extreme forms of violence as whites guaranteed the return of power, including the resurgence of the KKK, as well as gerrymandering and poll taxes to ensure the elimination of blacks as a voting class. In the second half of the lecture, Professor Holloway focuses on the ideas of civilization and manliness, lynchings, and anti-lynching campaigns. Fears of rape and ideas of white womanhood frequently served as the justification for the systematic psychological and economic terrorism of African Americans during the "Rise of Redemption."

Warning: This lecture contains graphic content and/or adult language that some users may find disturbing.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Billie Holliday Song: "Strange Fruit"
03:47 - Chapter 2. From Reconstruction to the Rise of Redemption
08:53 - Chapter 3. Forces used to Eliminate the Black Vote
22:08 - Chapter 4. Lynching: The Ultimate form of Racial Harassment
40:11 - Chapter 5. Images of Lynching

Complete course materials are available at the Yale Online website: online.yale.edu


This course was recorded in Spring 2010.