Ep. 59: Gregory Downs on the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Collapse of Republican Dreams

In this episode, Luke talks with Gregory Downs, the author of several books, including The Second American Revolution: The Civil War-Era Struggle over Cuba and the Rebirth of the American Republic (2019) and After Appomattox: Military Occupation and the Ends of War (2015). He’s also co-author with Kate Masur of the article “Civil War Sesquicentennial: Reconstruction: Retrospect and Prospects.” Greg touches on many topics, including how he became interested in the Civil War and Reconstruction, historical memory and tragedy, why we should embrace the “radicality” or “unsettledness” of the Civil War, what to do when “no one is riding in to save us from the collapse of republican dreams and liberal rights,” and the significance of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.