The Reckoning traces the history and lasting impact of slavery in America by looking at how the institution unfolded in Kentucky. The state remained in the Union during the Civil War, but many white Kentuckians fought to hang onto slavery and the wealth the enslaved provided. In the years that followed, former Unionists and Confederates banded together to violently deny black citizens a seat at the table. As part of this story, we will meet members of two families, one white and one black, whose lives were intertwined through slavery. These families reflect how slavery touched nearly every person, place and institution in America, and how the country still needs to reconcile this painful past with the the impact slavery has had on the present day health, wealth and safety of African Americans.
Episodes
Monday Jan 12, 2026
Monday Jan 12, 2026
During the Civil War, a group of Northern Democrats known as Copperheads came together to oppose the policies of Abraham Lincoln and his Republican Party. As the war progressed, they became progressively more radicalized and began to consider taking violent action in a strategic alliance with the Confederates.
Tuesday Jan 20, 2026
Tuesday Jan 20, 2026
The Copperhead movement was a coalition of several groups with varied histories and political goals, the seeds of which went back to the early years of the nation. But the election of Republican Abraham Lincoln in 1860 activated their worst fears and inspired them to come together to fight against a common foe.
Tuesday Jan 27, 2026
Tuesday Jan 27, 2026
The summer of 1863 was a momentous period in the Civil War with the Battle of Gettysburg and the Fall of Vicksburg. It was also a turning point in a different kind of war being fought against Copperhead insurrectionists, who were starting to be taken very seriously by Union military officials. To counteract the threat, they started to spy on their own citizens.
Tuesday Feb 03, 2026
Tuesday Feb 03, 2026
During the Civil War, neutral Canada became a haven for both exiled Copperheads and Confederate soldiers who had escaped from Union prisons. It then became a base of operations for a planned attack on several Northern cities by a combined force of Copperheads and Confederates.
Tuesday Feb 10, 2026
Tuesday Feb 10, 2026
After a planned Copperhead insurrection in Chicago is thwarted, the Confederates pivot to new methods for terrorizing Northern cities using fire, bank robberies, and biological warfare. When those fail to bring the Union to its knees, they turn their attention to kidnapping the President.
Tuesday Feb 17, 2026
Tuesday Feb 17, 2026
In the wake of Lincoln’s murder, the Confederates successfully derailed efforts to connect them to the assassination plot. We also explore what happened to the various Copperhead conspirators after the Civil War and why these events from 160 years ago still matter today.