Thanks to Dr. Kate Masur for taking the time to talk with me about her terrific new book, Freedom Was in Sight!: A Graphic History of Reconstruction in the Washington, D.C., Region. Kate teaches history at Northwestern University and is the author and editor of numerous works, including An Example for All the Land: Emancipation and the Struggle Over Equality in Washington, D.C. and Until Justice Be Done: America’s First Civil Rights Movement, From The Revolution to Reconstruction, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Along with historian Greg Downs, she is also the author of the National Park Service’s theme study on Reconstruction.
Freedom Was in Sight! is both an introduction to the history of Reconstruction that will appeal to a wide readership and a wonderful teaching tool that can be used at the high school level.
Kate’s masterful narrative focuses both on Washington, D.C. and the surrounding area and stretches the traditional narrative of Reconstruction from the beginning of the war to the beginning of the twentieth century. Liz Clarke’s beautiful illustrations move the story along and invest the reader in the lives of those attempting to make meaning of freedom during a fraught time in American history.
Purchase on Amazon / UNC Press / IndieBound
The book includes a brief overview of Reconstruction and a small collection of primary sources. Teachers interested in using this book in their classrooms should check out the lesson plans that are available on the UNC Press website.
'Freedom Was in Sight!': A Conversation With Kate Masur