Following the Civil War, former slaves move to take control of their lives.

In the chaos following the Civil War, a revolution takes shape in the South. Former slaves move to take control of their lives, setting up their own communities, churches and schools. Southern whites, deeply threatened, resist  - often violently. Congress finally acts to stem the violence and safeguard blacks'rights, and passes Radical Reconstruction, imposing military rule on the South and giving black men the vote.