Historians Jared Frederick, host of Reel History, and Rich Condon analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the movie Free State of Jones. One of its greatest strengths, they agree, is the portrayal of post-Civil War “national reconciliation” as a tragedy that enabled pro-Confederates to destroy Mississippi’s fragile class and race-based era of Reconstruction and return pro-Confederate politicians to power. Institutionalization of White Supremacy followed.
