Reconstruction after the Civil War

For a dozen years after the Civil War, millions of former slaves joined with many whites in trying to rebuild the shattered South into a free and equal society. This enormous social and political experiment was called Reconstruction. When it was abandoned, the whole nation suffered a terrible defeat that set back the cause of freedom and democracy for over a century. The carefully selected primary source documents in this portfolio provide students with essential background to understand the complexities of Reconstruction, from the intense political battles that shaped the era to the struggle of the freedmen for jobs, schools, land reform, and political power. This portfolio includes a comprehensive Reproducible Student Activities, including vocabulary, writing, research, and creative thinking exercises, and a teacher's response key. A detailed map and timeline covers important events from 1865 to 1877. Students will be able to explore the topic further with the carefully constructed recommended reading list. 4 Illustrated Broadsheet Essays: * Rebuilding after the Civil War * The Radical Republicans Take Control * Toward a New Life * Carpetbaggers, Scalawags, and White Supremacy 9 Primary Source Documents: * Recruitment broadside: Men of Color, To Arms! Now or Never!, 1863 * Portraits of black members of the Louisiana Legislature of 1868, with extracts from the Reconstruction Constitution * Ku Klux Klan broadsides and political cartoons, 1868 * Front page of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, December 26, 1868 * Front page of The New Orleans Tribune, January 15, 1869 * Thomas Nast cartoons * Joint Resolutions of Congress proposing the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution * Report on conditions in the Southern states, 1872 * Broadside showing Robert B. Elliott delivering his speech on civil rights, 1874