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MPR News Presents

Humankind documentary about post Civil War America: 'The Freed People'

Juneteenth Emancipation Day Celebration, June 19, 1900, Texas
Juneteenth emancipation celebration on June 19, 1900 in Texas
The Portal to Texas History, via Wikimedia Commons

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Over the weekend "Juneteenth" was celebrated for the first time after Congress and President Joe Biden made it an official national holiday. This documentary by host and executive producer David Freudberg explores how newly freed enslaved people handled the transition to freedom. Most had no homes or jobs and were separated from their families.

The program examines one of the most significant chapters of American history, when Congress established the Freedmen’s Bureau as the Civil War drew to a close. Its mission was to assist four million newly emancipated Black people in their transition from enslavement to freedom — the government’s first social welfare agency.

The story, including the resistance from white supremacists during Reconstruction, is told by historians, including David Blight, and draws from letters and other accounts written in this period. The program also includes performances of spirituals sung in that era.

For more:

Humankind Public Radio Program, produced by David Freudberg (humanmedia.org)