Signatures
This is the list of people who have signed the pledge or petition to date.
Abdullah Kapic | Lawrenceville, GA
Roger Rosenberg | San Jose, CA
To whom it may concern,Even after I earned a PhD in U.S. History I knew all too little about Reconstruction. I set out to educate myself after and apart from the education system. It is the "untaught" subject, almost as though we have a period of time in American history that has vanished. This is shameful! There are many important lessons to be learned from the Reconstruction Era; it should be taught as any other significant era is taught: the Colonial Period, the American Revolution, Jeffersonian democracy, the Age of Jackson, the Civil War, the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era, etc. Leaving it out or skipping lightly over it, as most teachers and textbooks tend to do, is not an acceptable way to teach American History in-depth with an eye to developing students' critical thinking abilities!Dr. Roger E. RosenbergPhD, U.S. History
Kat Deaver | Wake Forest, NC
Elana Solomon | Philadelphia, PA
The truth needs to be known that justice was not served to the freed enslaved and that although the government did try during Reconstruction and there were successes during this time period that proved AA ability and talent, it was cut off to soon and Jim Crow as allowed to prevail.
Tait Jensen | Kansas City, MO
Peter Crownfield | Bethlehem, PA
This is one of many periods greatly under-represented in a US History that tends to reinforce the paradigms of white superiority and history as a series of wars. Very incomplete & one-sided.
Joan meyers | San Luis Obispo, CA
As a college professor, I regularly see students circulate the false folk wisdom of Reconstruction being a failure due to corruption and/or the inability of the formerly enslaved to participate in democratic self-rule. This false information—a discredited narrative that was once part of school curriculums their parents or grandparents learned and then taught them—shapes the way they consider race in contemporary life. A more accurate view of Reconstruction would lighten my load considerably, and make it easier and faster to move on to theorizing pathways to a racially just society today.
Kevin Delaney | Wayland, MA
Reconstruction is absolutely essential to understand the present day United States generally, and in particular to wisely interpret the ongoing challenges we face with our current race relations. Sadly, this period is now more relevant than it has been in decades.
Meg Gudgeirsson | Alameda, CA
The period of Reconstruction, its politics, and its ideologies have continued to shape how Americans understand freedom, citizenship, federalism, and how white supremacy operates in this nation. Yet most students have little or no knowledge of this period.
Nicole Wilson-Carr | Morgantown, WV
Sara Pierce | Hollywood, FL
This important period in our nation's history provides insight into what might have been, rather than what has been, our nation's political and social history. As we continue striving towards a more perfect union, it is time for our nation to shine light into the shadows of darkness we have allowed to be created. Let us open, inspect, and clean our national closets. The lessons, treasures, and truths to be unearthed will help further reveal the complicated tapestry of our nation, and provide us with alternative opinions and options for moving forward collectively.
Cathleen Cadigan | Bellmead, TX
Because I teach advanced classes I have the opportunity to teach Reconstruction in my United States History courses. As a result, my students have a greater understanding of the concept of race and it's development in our country. Sadly, more is required and all students need and deserve this educational foundation.
Brian Lozenski | Saint Paul, MN
Lake Zebrowski | Bronx, NY
Kyra Sahasrabudhe | Stone Ridge, NY
a. deLessio-parson | Milwaukee, WI
Maria Gritz | Topsfield, MA
Rosalie Osborn | Brooklyn, NY
Green Clare | Oakland, CA
Studying the history and historiography of Reconstruction is absolutely essential to an understanding of power and oppression in America.
Marwah Ayache | Dearborn Heights, MI
Cindy Mapes | Newton, MA
Lucy Bender | Pittsburgh, PA
Owen Doak | Crystal Lake, IL
An honest assessment of the failures of the Reconstruction Era helps us to understand our ongoing failures today. Slavery did not end in 1865, it continued in a new form called Jim Crow.
Kristen Lynch | Brooklyn, NY
Susan Thomas | Greensboro, NC
The Reconstruction Era is foundational to understanding the development of government structures, legal decisions, and public policies that served to institutionalize racism in the United States during the long 20th century. Much of the current conflict over what systemic racism is and what its consequences have been can be traced back to a lack of historical knowledge of this process. Beginning to teach our students during elementary and secondary education what this history looks like and how it connects to the issues of the day will prepare them to face the challenges and support necessary changes to remedy many of the injustices people of color face on a daily basis.
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