The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution came out of the bloodiest and divisive periods in American history. Michael Bellesiles, author of "Inventing Equality: Reconstructing the Constitution in the Aftermath of the Civil War" joins 'Democracy Nerd' to discuss how the Reconstruction Amendments promised to expand democracy throughout the United States--and how they ultimately failed to deliver on this promise.

Inventing Equality: Reconstructing the Constitution in the Aftermath of the Civil War (St. Martin's Press, 2020), by Michael Bellesiles

15th amendment

Episode 18: The Promise--And Failure--of the Reconstruction Amendments to Expand American Democracy