American History's Biggest Fibs – BBC4

By Mandy Cooper
( What's on TV )
published

American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
(Image credit: BBC Studios/Jim Petersen)

Lucy Worsley shows how the American Civil War promoted freedom and equality but also hatred and division as American History's Biggest fibs continues

Lucy Worsley shows how the American Civil War promoted freedom and equality but also hatred and division in BBC4's, American History's Biggest fibs

This fascinating series continues with enthusiastic historian Lucy Worsley tackling one of the most controversial epochs in American history – the 1861 Civil War and its aftermath.

Was it really a heroic battle to free the slaves of the southern states, or was there actually something more going on?

History has painted President Abraham Lincoln as ‘The Great Emancipator’, as he led the 19 northern states to victory against the 11 pro-slavery southern confederate states.

American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley

Presenter Lucy Worsley at the White House

But despite the victory, the freedom granted to the former slaves was so limited and flawed that the issue of race relations has remained a divisive issue, from the 1964 Civil Rights Movement right up to the present day.

TV Times rating: *****

Mandy Cooper
Mandy Cooper
TV Times Highlights Editor

As TV Times Highlights Editor I get to hear about all the latest TV shows coming soon. Here at TVT HQ we are in the privileged position of selecting the best programmes from across all the channels and streaming platforms. Our mission is to make it easier for our readers to decide what to watch - and give them lots of choice of genres - all the latest shows, plus some nostalgic choices we call hidden gems, too. My career began with a postgraduate degree in periodical journalism (ahem, yes old school!) in 1991 and I’ve worked in TV media since 2000.