History of the Thirty-Ninth Congress of the United States

In this detailed chronicle of the United States' Thirty‑Ninth Congress, listeners travel back to the pivotal years immediately after the Civil War, when lawmakers faced the daunting task of turning victory into lasting peace. The author weaves together vivid portraits of the era’s most outspoken legislators—Schuyler Colfax, Thaddeus Stevens, and others—while letting their own words shape the narrative. By focusing on the heated debates that forged the nation’s early Reconstruction policies, the book offers a clear window onto the political climate of the time.

The volume emphasizes the central role of the “Negro question,” showing how the Congress wrestled with civil‑rights legislation that would become the foundation of modern American law. Selections of speeches are presented in an abridged yet striking form, giving listeners a sense of the rhetoric and urgency that filled the chambers. Though many details are trimmed, the work captures the spirit of a legislature determined to protect the downtrodden and define the country’s future.