The Two American Reconstructions: An Appraisal, Reflection (Half the Answer #86, with Thomas Zimmer)

What was the first American Reconstruction after the Civil War? Why are some historians suggesting we just left a second sort of Reconstruction Era?

Join Caitlin and Trent as they got into it all with Historian Thomas Zimmer, going from the first period of reconstruction, across the late 19th and early 20th centuries, before pressing through this second reconstruction, which Thomas considers as being from 1965 to 2026.

They then turned their attention towards what lays ahead for the United States, as well as why some Germans just don’t care about what’s going on across the Atlantic Ocean.

Half the Answer can be heard on Spotify, on Apple, on YouTube, on Amazon, and elsewhere via its RSS feed.

Resources

Democracy Americana

A newsletter on U.S. politics and history - and the ongoing struggle over how much democracy, and for whom, there should be in America

Steady

Thomas Zimmer's website