Good lectures, and the prof’s early-2000s northeastern liberal perspective makes the lectures interesting from an historiographical perspective as well. Boy how much the culture has changed in a decade!

Clearest, most eloquent presentation I've seen in a while. Although I with Prof. Blight had focused less on historical anecdotes and more on historical events, etc.

Did a clash of inflated egos kill 650,000+ Americans? Could a different president have avoided this tragedy? I’m not convinced either way after listening to the course. Blight provides an east-coast elitist view of this period which greatly takes away from its enjoyment. Maybe a few years in the dreaded private sector could give him perspective and provide a more honest recount of this horrible American tragedy.

Not only did Prof Blight impart absolute facts about the Civil War, but he put a human face on it. He made me want to read and learn more about this period in our history. I think this is the most a great teacher can hope to do. Thank you iTunes and Apple for putting it on.

Listening to this course during my daily commute had me looking forward to it. The lectures are some of the best I've heard. The stories help bring the subject to life.

I am enjoying this immensely. However chapters 7, 8, 11, 17, 23, 24 and 25 are missing. How may I obtain these?

Excellent.

This is a great lecture series given by a great storyteller and scholar. Most importantly, he reminds the younger generations watching this video that the war was about slavery and racism. Growing up in Texas, I was taught in high school that the civil war was caused by economic differences. I suppose they forgot it was economic differences caused by slavery.

Presenting the history of the Civil War is not a simple, or shallow task. Mr. Blight's lectures on the Civil War are really good. I feel fortunate that i have access to this expert's insights, comments, and knowledge. I long to be an undergraduate again, and to take this class at Yale. However the price is outta my league, now! Long live Itunes U, and thank you for providing us (for free) the ability to hear this great scholar explain a complicated, yet pivotal event in our nations history.

This is an excellent overview of Civil War times in the U. S., marred only by a few gratuitous and irrelevant jabs at contemporary conservatives and Republicans. It is a shame that Professor Blight feels the need to show his liberal chops by interrupting his otherwise spellbinding discussion with such distractions. On the other hand, it is useful to those of us long gone from the academic environment to hear first hand what students are exposed to these days. That said, Professor Blight goes well beyond the expected recitation of a Civil War chronology by setting the stage with outstanding accounts of the social milieu of both North and South before, during and after the war. I especially enjoyed his extended discussion of Reconstruction, an era I had heard of but knew little about. I would recommend this course to anyone wanting to know more about this painful but extremely important period in our country's history.

Dr. Bright does an excellent job presenting the emotions and logic of this unfortunate tragedy. He does not spend much time describing battle details. I strongly recommend it.

Very good overview from a star in the field. Wonderful lecturer who speaks with passion and authority. Some of the additional visuals he shared with the class are not viewable on these videos because of copyright limitations.

Just as it says above. His lectures actually made me find an interest in something I'd found very dry and remote. I love when history's path makes sense for all parties involved and Dr Blight makes it make sense. He also has a strong similarity in voice and intonation to actor William Hurt, which made it all the better.

For anyone interested in the Civil War and Reconstruction, Blight does a terrific job of providing his insights and color of the underlying causes of the conflict. Even lacking video of his displays, this series is compelling and not to be missed. I was sad to find that I had listened to all the lectures and even went back to relisten to some that were particularly interesting. Blight repeatedly asks the question: Why do so many people find the Civil War to be so interesting? One answer is clearly that people like Blight make it so interesting!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed these lectures. They were delivered clearly by a competent public speaker. The lectures bring insight into the Civil War, its causees, its progression, its results, its legacies. An excellent learning expperience. If you are looking for a series about the battles occuring during the war, this is not it. But if you are looking for insight into the one of the most significant events to form the American character, then these are the lectures to hear.