Relevant Websites

Top Recommendation:

HIST 119: THE CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION ERA, 1845-1877

David Blight's undergraduate course at Yale, recorded in 2008. Twenty-seven 50 minute lectures. Despite the fact that he sniffs his way through a major cold and occasionally turns away from the microphone and is silent while he adjusts his slides, these are excellent. He's dramatic, he reads from contemporary literature, he weaves in historiography, he makes it come alive. I'm listening for the second time. He's good enough to make you think that there might actually be something to the supposed value of an Ivy League education. (He assigns Ken Burns' Civil War Documentary but he's no fan of Shelby Foote.)

Just Discovered:

PBS AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, DEATH AND THE CIVIL WAR

Ric Burns (Ken's brother) wrote and directed this based on Drew Gilpin Faust's book. The other academic consultants are:

Drew Gilpin Faust
David W. Blight
Vincent Brown
Steven Hahn
Stephen Kantrowitz
Stephanie McCurry
Mark S. Schantz

Should be interesting.