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

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.