The period known as Reconstruction, after the North had won the Civil War and reunited the Union, was a troubled time for the United States. The South, which had fought for its independence, was bitter. Former slaves were freed, made citizens, and granted the right to vote, but still faced terrible discrimination. Author Marsha Ziff highlights the people and events involved in this turbulent period, examining the frustration and the determination of African Americans as they began their journey out of the ruins of slavery and the Civil War toward freedom and equality.