Louisiana White League Platform (1874)
The White League was a paramilitary group responsible for widespread violence against black and white Republicans in Louisiana and Mississippi. The group’s platform from 1874 is articulated here.
![Book cover of American flag with faces over it.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Reconstruction_cover_large.jpg?h=51bee232&itok=yY8xN3AK)
Names and Freedom
Historians Douglas Egerton and Leon Litwack explain the process of freedpeople adopting new surnames.
![A group of African Americans soberly observe Juneteenth in their hats, canes and bonnets in Austin, TX, 1900.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Emancipation_Day_celebration_-_1900-06-19%20%281%29.jpg?h=6ea8326e&itok=2mUmYjCx)
Names and Freedom (en español)
In Spanish, historians Douglas Egerton and Leon Litwack explain the process of freedpeople adopting new surnames.
![A group of African Americans soberly observe Juneteenth in their hats, canes and bonnets in Austin, TX, 1900.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Emancipation_Day_celebration_-_1900-06-19%20%281%29.jpg?h=6ea8326e&itok=2mUmYjCx)
Family Names
Learn how filmmaker Macky Alston learned about the history of his family name and its connection to his family's legacy in the United States.
![Bayeté Ross Smith’s 2010 series "Our Kind of People" examines how clothing, ethnicity, and gender influence our ideas about identity, personality, and character.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/2010_OurKindofPeoplecombined_FH2170284.jpg?h=52649bae&itok=_jsHfuii)
Family Names
In Spanish, learn how filmmaker Macky Alston learned about the history of his family name and its connection to his family's legacy in the United States.
![Bayeté Ross Smith’s 2010 series "Our Kind of People" examines how clothing, ethnicity, and gender influence our ideas about identity, personality, and character.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/2010_OurKindofPeoplecombined_FH2170284.jpg?h=52649bae&itok=_jsHfuii)
Race: The Power of an Illusion (The House We Live In)
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The final episode of the three-part series "Race: The Power of an Illusion" focuses on the ways our institutions and policies advantage some groups at the expense of others.
![](/sites/default/files/brightcove/videos/images/posters/image_68.jpg)
You Worked Long Hours
Essie Favrot gives a firsthand account of working as a domestic worker for a white Southern family.
![Young African American woman holding a baby](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/1870_YoungAfricanAmericanWomanHoldingABaby_FH2169994.png?h=3fd7e032&itok=LhHXUBvi)
Race: The Power of an Illusion (The Story We Tell)
The second episode in the three-part series Race: The Power of an Illusion questions the belief that race has always been with us.
![](/sites/default/files/brightcove/videos/images/posters/image_69.jpg)
Wesley Lowery's Arrest
Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery describes how he was arrested in Ferguson, Missouri, and explains how freedom of the press was threatened during the protests.
![](/sites/default/files/brightcove/videos/images/posters/image_608.jpg)
Where Are You From From?
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Through the voices of ten young people living in Berlin, Germany; and New York, USA, Where Are You From From? highlights the insight of children of immigrants in two societies struggling with migration and national identity.
![](/sites/default/files/brightcove/videos/images/posters/image_1422.jpg)
Why Study Reconstruction?
The Reconstruction era was a pivotal moment in American history. Civil rights were set in motion as Americans grappled to rebuild after the division and trauma of the Civil War, raising essential questions about freedom and democracy.
![](/sites/default/files/brightcove/videos/images/posters/image_457.jpg)