Oct. 4, 1864: New Orleans Tribune Launched
The New Orleans Tribune was launched and published daily in French and English by Louis Charles Roudanez.
Continue reading
Collection: Reconstruction
Reconstruction, the era immediately following the Civil War and emancipation, is full of stories that help us see the possibility of a future defined by racial equity. Though often overlooked in classrooms across the country, Reconstruction was a period where the impossible suddenly became possible. The following are lessons, books, and films for teaching outside the textbook about the Reconstruction Era.
Sept. 28, 1868: Opelousas Massacre
One of the worst massacres of African Americans during Reconstruction took place in Opelousas, Louisiana.
Continue reading
Sept. 19, 1868: Camilla Massacre
The Camilla Massacre took place on September 19, 1868 in Georgia.
Continue reading
Black Power U.S.A.: The Human Side of Reconstruction, 1867-1877
Book – Non-fiction. By Lerone Bennett Jr. 1967. 426 pages.
A bottom-up, student friendly text about the people's history of Reconstruction.
Continue reading
When the Impossible Suddenly Became Possible: A Reconstruction Mixer
Teaching Activity. By Adam Sanchez and Nqobile Mthethwa. 25 pages.
A mixer role play that explores the connections between different social movements during Reconstruction.
Continue reading
July 9, 1868: 14th Amendment Adopted
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted.
Continue reading
July 4, 1876: Hamburg Massacre
A Black militia was accused of blocking a road and punished with the Hamburg Massacre.
Continue reading
Cause: Reconstruction America, 1863-1877
Book – Non-fiction. By Tonya Bolden. 2014. 138 pages.
One of the few non-fiction texts on Reconstruction aimed at young readers, Cause is a strong alternative to the textbook treatment of the era.
Continue reading
Black Reconstruction in America
Book – Non-fiction. By W. E. B. Du Bois. Introduction by David Levering Lewis. 2014. 623 pages.
Originally published in 1935, Du Bois’ Black Reconstruction was the first book to challenge the prevailing racist historical narrative of the era and in sharp, incisive prose, tell the story of the Civil War and Reconstruction from the perspective of African Americans.
Continue reading
The Era of Reconstruction, 1861-1900
Book – Non-fiction. By National Park Service. 2017. 165 pages.
A theme study on the history of the Reconstruction era.
Continue reading
Five Myths About Reconstruction
Article. By James W. Loewen. 2015.
Overview of five common fallacies that Americans still tell themselves about the Reconstruction era.
Continue reading
A Short History of Reconstruction, Updated Edition
Book - Non-fiction. By Eric Foner. 2015. 352 pages.
A people's history view of the Reconstruction era.
Continue reading
Reconstructing the South: A Role Play
Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow. 17 pages.
This role play engages students in thinking about what freedpeople needed in order to achieve—and sustain—real freedom following the Civil War. It's followed by a chapter from the book Freedom's Unfinished Revolution on what would happen to the land in the South after slavery ended.
Continue reading
The Reconstruction Era and the Fragility of Democracy
Teaching Guide. By Facing History and Ourselves. 2015.
A collection of lessons, videos, and primary sources to teach about Reconstruction.
Continue reading
The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch
Picture book. By Chris Barton. Illustrated by Don Tate. 2015.
An in-depth look at the Reconstruction period through the life of one of the first African-American congressmen.
Continue reading
Roudanez: History and Legacy
Website.
Archive of the work of Dr. Louis Charles Roudanez, founder of the first Black daily newspaper in the U.S., the New Orleans Tribune, with articles, excerpts, videos, and a timeline.
Continue reading
Crow
Book - Fiction. By Barbara Wright. 2012.
Historical fiction about an Reconstruction era African American community violently robbed of its freedom and democracy in turn of the century North Carolina.
Continue reading
Freedom’s Unfinished Revolution: Teaching a People’s History of Reconstruction
Background Reading for Teachers. By Bill Bigelow. 4 pages.
A review of Freedom's Unfinished Revolution, a collection of primary documents for high school on the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Continue reading
Henry McNeal Turner: “Eligibility of Colored Members to Seats in the Georgia Legislature”
Film clip. Voices of a People's History.
Henry McNeal Turner's "Eligibility of Colored Members to Seats in the Georgia Legislature" (1868), read by Danny Glover.
Continue reading
A Moment in the Sun
Book - Fiction. By John Sayles. 2011.
Spanning five years and half a dozen countries, Sayles' novel of historical fiction paints a picture of the late 1890s — from the racist coup in Wilmington, North Carolina, to the bloody dawn of U.S. interventionism in Cuba and the Philippines.
Continue reading
Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule
Book - Fiction. By Harriette Gillem Robinet. 1998. 144 pages.
Historical fiction featuring 12-year-old Pascal, 8-year-old Nellie, and their older brother Gideon, a Union Army aide, as they claim and farm the land promised to them during Reconstruction.
Continue reading
A People’s History of the United States: 1492 – Present
Books - Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2005, with a new introduction by Anthony Arnove in 2015. 784 pages.
Howard Zinn's groundbreaking work on U.S. history. This book details lives and facts rarely included in textbooks—an indispensable teacher and student resource.
Continue reading
Voices of a People’s History of the United States, 10th Anniversary Edition
Book - Non-fiction. Edited by Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove. 2014. 704 pages.
Speeches, letters, poems, and songs for each chapter of A People's History of the United States.
Continue reading
Freedom’s Unfinished Revolution: An Inquiry Into the Civil War and Reconstruction
Teaching Guide. By American Social History Project with foreword by Eric Foner. 1996.
Primary documents, essays, and questions to teach the untold story of Reconstruction.
Continue reading
The Black Americans: A History in Their Own Words, 1619-1983
Book - Non-fiction. Edited by Milton Meltzer. 1987.
Engaging first person stories and primary documents.
Continue reading
