meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Majority Report with Sam Seder

3090 - Reconstruction Didn't Fail: It Was Sabotaged w/ Kidada E. Williams

The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Sam Seder

News, Politics, Society & Culture

4.63.7K Ratings

🗓️ 15 May 2023

⏱️ 78 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Happy Monday! Sam hosts Kidada E. Williams, associate professor of history at Wayne State University, to discuss her recent book I Saw Death Coming: A History of Terror and Survival in the War against Reconstruction. Sam begins the show by talking about the upcoming debt ceiling battle, and how it seems increasingly likely that Biden is going to cave to Kevin McCarthy and the Republicans by agreeing to some spending caps and additional work requirements, when he absolutely doesn't have to if he and his administration had any creativity whatsoever. Then, Kidada joins the show and Sam and her start off by recapping what The "Dunning School" of history was, how it came about, and what its essential project was (sanitizing the Confederacy, as well as the racist, violent legacy of post-Civil War Reconstruction.) Sam and Professor Williams also marvel at how successful the project of the Dunning School was, highlighting anecdotally how minimal amounts of time and resources were dedicated in classrooms to fully fleshing out the harmful Reconstruction's effects on black Americans actually were. Professor Williams then dives into her scholarship, where she located direct testimony from families taken in the field by members of Congress in the post-Civil War South, and how these testimonies paint a picture of what really happened after the Civil War supposedly "ended": the fighting became a sort of guerrilla war against free black people, and the war itself didn't neatly "end", so to speak. Professor Williams recounts, per her research, the gratuitous and brutal violence free black people faced even after being released from bondage, and even after receiving the rights that they did not possess before prior to the Civil War. They wrap up the conversation by centering the issues of white supremacy and how crucial they are to what happened during Reconstruction: a concerted effort and investment in the furtherance of white supremacy, not just by white Southerners, but by white Northerners too, in the project of continuing to marginalize and subjugate free black people.

And in the Fun Half, Sam talks about Latino truckers taking to social media to call for a boycott of Florida because draconian immigration laws proposed under Gov. Ron DeSantis, Elon Musk's free speech crusades on Twitter resulting in censoring people on the site to not upset the Turkish government, a decision that even pissed off Enes Kanter Freedom. Protesters with Climate Defiance demonstrate at Sen. Amy Klobuchar's book event ("The Joy Of Politics", in stores near you!), and the weekend Fox & Friends crew get upset with President Biden for daring to utter the words "white supremacy" when talking about the famously not-racist United States. Plus, your calls & IM's!

Check out Kidada's book here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/i-saw-death-coming-9781635576634/

Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join

Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow

Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/

Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/

Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/

Get the free Majority Report App!: http://majority.fm/app

Check out today’s sponsors:

HelloFresh: No matter your lifestyle or meal preferences, HelloFresh has recipes sure to please everyone at your table. From Fit & Wholesome to Veggie or Family-Friendly, you’ll always find something even the pickiest eaters will enjoy. Go to https://hellofresh.com/majority16 and use code majority16 for 16 free meals plus free shipping! That's https://hellofresh.com/majority16.

Seder's Seeds!: Sam tried to grow some cannabis last year, didn't know what he was doing, but now has some great cannabis seeds! Use code "420" and get 20% off your entire order! AND Seder's Seeds is launching a loyalty program, every 10 dollars spent earns you a point! Go to http://www.sedersseeds.com and MajorityReporters now and enter coupon code "SEEDS" for free shipping!

Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter:

@SamSeder

@EmmaVigeland

@MattBinder

@MattLech

@BF1nn

@BradKAlsop

Check out Matt’s show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning

Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/

Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/

The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

You are listening to a free version of Majority Report with Sam Steeder.

0:05.0

To support this show and get another 15 minutes daily program, go to majority.fm. Please...

0:13.0

The Majority Report with Sam Steeder.

0:19.0

It is Monday, May 15, 2023. My name is Sam Steeder. This is the 5-time award-winning majority report.

0:28.0

We are broadcasting live steps from the Aduscerly Ravage Gawannas Canal in the heartland of America downtown Brooklyn, USA.

0:38.0

On the program today, Associate Professor of History at Wayne State University,

0:43.0

Kedada E. Williams, author of I Saw Death Coming, a history of terror and survival in the war against reconstruction.

0:55.0

Also on the program today, Biden's coming cave on the debt ceiling will be more than a political disaster.

1:05.0

Border crossings drop as Biden's new policy. Strands, thousands.

1:12.0

Turkish election heads to a runoff as Elon Musk censors the Turkish opposition via Twitter.

1:24.0

But Erdogan asked him to. Florida looking to use radioactive material outlawed by the EPA for 30 years in their road work.

1:37.0

That's not a joke. State Department freezes green cards. Could seriously devastate health care in this country.

1:50.0

The 163rd Pennsylvania House special race getting national attention.

1:59.0

Philly suburbs folks, you're there. Make sure you vote tomorrow. Latino truckers may stage a boycott.

2:07.0

Over Florida's show me your papers law.

2:13.0

Governor Cooper vetoes the North Carolina abortion ban. Now we'll see if the lawmakers override that veto.

2:24.0

Vice files for bankruptcy. Florida teacher investigated for showing a Disney film in class.

2:33.0

What a Florida news today. Until you get out of those authoritarian states.

2:38.0

Florida report. I'm sorry. It just. It just happened. All this and more on today's majority report.

2:49.0

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Thanks for joining us. Emma is on special assignment at one of her close friends wedding.

2:57.0

I mean, we're not trying to bust any news there, but that's what if there's some news there. She should. She's, you know, she'll be on it.

3:03.0

She should gather it though. Yeah, apparently in the understanding is in the left media space weddings is very big.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Sam Seder, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Sam Seder and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.