Feb. 18, 1865: Black Soldiers March into Charleston
The Union Army moved into Charleston, South Carolina, the city where the Civil War had begun four years earlier.
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Theme: Reconstruction
These are resources for teaching about Reconstruction.
Dark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim Crow
Book — Non-fiction. By Henry Louis Gates Jr. with Tonya Bolden. 2019. 240 pages.
Readers trace the rise and fall of racial equity during Reconstruction as increasingly violent white supremacy and new forms of oppression take hold at the turn of the 20th century.
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Readers trace the rise and fall of racial equity during Reconstruction as increasingly violent white supremacy and new forms of oppression take hold at the turn of the 20th century.
Students Secure Marker for Reconstruction Era Lawyer Albion Tourgée
Article. By Richard Dana.
A group of students at Kent State University-Ashtabula helped secure local recognition for Reconstruction era lawyer and writer Albion Tourgee, including a historical marker at his birthplace.
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A group of students at Kent State University-Ashtabula helped secure local recognition for Reconstruction era lawyer and writer Albion Tourgee, including a historical marker at his birthplace.
Reconstruction: The Promise and Betrayal of Democracy
Book — Non-fiction. By Robert B. Moore with Beryle Banfield. 1983. 40 pages.
Critique and analysis of textbook coverage of the Reconstruction era.
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Critique and analysis of textbook coverage of the Reconstruction era.
April 9, 1865: Civil War Officially Ends
The U.S. Civil War ended when the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia surrendered to U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in south-central Virginia.
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The 15th Amendment
Teaching materials and guides on the 15th Amendment's significance in 2020 — its 150th anniversary and an election year.
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Teacher Mini-Grants to Commemorate the 15th Amendment in 2020
Apply for a mini-grant to teach the 15th Amendment in 2020, the 150th anniversary of the Constitutional right to vote regardless of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
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Teaching Voting Rights in 2020
Though our students' textbooks suggest otherwise, on this 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment the struggle for ballot access is not over.
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40 Acres and a Mule: Role-Playing What Reconstruction Could Have Been
Teaching Activity. By Adam Sanchez. Rethinking Schools, 2020.
This multimedia, creative role play introduces students to the ways African American life changed immediately after the Civil War by focusing on the Sea Islands before and during Reconstruction.
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This multimedia, creative role play introduces students to the ways African American life changed immediately after the Civil War by focusing on the Sea Islands before and during Reconstruction.
July 29, 1835: Abolitionist Literature Removed from Post Office and Burned
Late night raid on the Charleston post office by a mob of white supremacists and the burning of abolitionist mail.
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The Moment Was Now: Musical About Reconstruction
The musical "The Moment Was Now" is set in Reconstruction era Baltimore with debates about labor, women's right to vote, and the rights of African Americans.
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Feb. 3, 1868: First Freedmen’s Bureau Teacher Appointed in Lafayette Parish
Walter H. Williams was the first Black teacher appointed to a Freedmen’s Bureau School in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana during Reconstruction.
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Repair: Students Design a Reparations Bill
Teaching Activity. By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca.
In this activity, students take on the role of activist-experts to improve upon a Congressional bill for reparations for Black people. They talk back to Congress’ flimsy legislation and design a more robust alternative.
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In this activity, students take on the role of activist-experts to improve upon a Congressional bill for reparations for Black people. They talk back to Congress’ flimsy legislation and design a more robust alternative.
Reconstruction: Repression and Resistance
In a people's history online class, Professor Kidada Williams and Tiffany Mitchell Patterson discussed African American survivors of racist violence in the context of Reconstruction, drawing parallels to the contemporary moment.
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Monumental: Oscar Dunn and His Radical Fight in Reconstruction Louisiana
Book — Non-fiction. By Brian K. Mitchell, Barrington S. Edwards, and Nick Weldon. 2021. 256 pages.
This Reconstruction history graphic novel tells the story of Oscar James Dunn, a New Orleanian who became the first Black lieutenant governor and acting governor in the United States.
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This Reconstruction history graphic novel tells the story of Oscar James Dunn, a New Orleanian who became the first Black lieutenant governor and acting governor in the United States.
Teaching After Georgia Victory and Attempted Coup
How to contextualize and frame the two major political events of Jan. 6, 2021: An historic grassroots organizing victory in Georgia and an attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol.
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Petition to School Boards to Teach Reconstruction
Please sign the petition to school boards and join the more than 170 noted scholars of U.S. history who have signed an open letter urging school districts to devote more time and resources to teaching the Reconstruction era.
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Feb. 8, 1868: Kate Brown Blocked from Seat in Ladies’ Car and Assaulted
An employee of the U.S. Senate, Kate Brown found political support from Sen. Charles Sumner and others in Congress when she was violently removed from the ladies' car, which was segregated illegally.
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April 20, 1871: Klan Enforcement Act Signed Into Law
President Ulysses S. Grant signed into law the third of the Enforcement Acts, a Reconstruction-era bill that empowered the federal government to intervene when the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments are violated.
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Black Reconstruction in America
Book — Non-fiction. By W. E. B. Du Bois. Edited by Eric Foner and Henry Louis Gates. 2021. 1097 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.
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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.
Sept. 3, 1868: Henry McNeal Turner Addressed the Georgia Legislature
Henry McNeal Turner addressed the Georgia Legislature on its decision to expel all Black representatives.
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Sept. 10, 1895: South Carolina Constitutional Convention Convened
The South Carolina Constitutional Convention convened to disenfranchise Black voters.
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July 23, 1890: F. M. B. “Marsh” Cook Killed
F. M. B. “Marsh” Cook, a white man, was killed for standing up against the white supremacist 1890 Mississippi Constitutional Convention.
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Sept. 19, 1868: Camilla Massacre
As African Americans marched peacefully in response to their expulsion from elected office, more than a dozen were massacred near Albany, Georgia.
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July 30, 1866: New Orleans Massacre
The New Orleans Massacre occurred when white residents attacked Black marchers near the reconvened Louisiana Constitutional Convention.
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