- Barack Obama and award-winning journalist Malcolm Gladwell are joining forces for a new podcast series.
- It revisits one of the most consequential periods in American history.
- The series debuted exclusively on Audible on June
Former US President Barack Obama and award-winning journalist Malcolm Gladwell are joining forces for a new podcast series that revisits one of the most consequential periods in American history. Titled Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise, the eight-episode project is produced by The History Channel in collaboration with Higher Ground, Pushkin Industries and Audible.
The series debuted exclusively on Audible on June 4 and will be available on all major podcast platforms beginning June 18.
The podcast examines the Reconstruction Era in the United States, the 12-year period following the end of the American Civil War between 1865 and 1877.
Through archival documents, personal letters, diaries, court records and eyewitness accounts, Obama and Gladwell explore how Americans struggled to rebuild the nation and make sense of the new normal in the aftermath of slavery's abolition.
“The Reconstruction Era was a brief but pivotal and turbulent chapter in our nation's history — one that is often overlooked, even though its consequences are still felt today,” Obama said in a statement announcing the project. He added that confronting the period honestly can help audiences better understand the nation's past and the enduring importance of persistence and perseverance during times of conflict and change.
The series revisits a moment “when the United States had the opportunity to reimagine society, from the foundations of its economy to the very nature of citizenship itself.”
The release adds, “Reconstruction begins where, for most Americans, the story of the Civil War ends — the North is victorious, and slavery is abolished. But what happened next was one of the most important decades in American history, a moment when our country grappled with its original sin and imagined, and briefly enacted, a more perfect union.”
“The series unpacks a time when a determined band of reformers attempted to radically reimagine American society, from the Constitution to the roots of its economy to the very nature of citizenship itself,” it concluded.
What To Expect In Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise?
Each episode opens and closes with conversations between Obama and Gladwell. It also features contributions from historians, scholars and storytellers, including Jelani Cobb, Wyatt Cenac, David Blight, Kai Wright, Kellie Carter Jackson, Ashley C. Ford, Manisha Sinha, Kidada Williams and Eric Foner.
The podcast is part of The History Channel's HISTORY Honors 250, a campaign marking the lead-up to the 250th anniversary of the United States in July 2026.
The initiative will feature documentaries, digital content, events and long-form and short-form programming focused on key moments in American history.
Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise is currently streaming exclusively on Audible and will be released widely on June 18.
