Resources for Chapter 6 – Reconstruction, 1865–1877
Opening Hook
Documents
Document 6.1 – Frederick Douglass’s Speech to the Anti-Slavery Society
Document 6.2 – Colored People’s Convention of the State of South Carolina
Document 6.3 – Robert Smalls’s Address to the South Carolina Legislature
Document 6.4 – Henry McNeal Turner’s Address to the Georgia State Legislature
Document 6.5 – The Creation of Black Universities and Colleges
Document 6.7 – The First Black Men Elected to Serve in the US Federal Government
Document 6.8 – Establishment of Black Churches
Document 6.9 – Establishing Legal Family Ties
Check for Understanding
Additional Resources
Books
Black Reconstruction in America, 1860–1880
W.E.B. Du Bois, 1935
View on Amazon
Du Bois argues that Black Americans were central actors during Reconstruction, detailing the contributions of Black politicians, educators, and laborers in rebuilding the South. He also condemns the federal government’s failure to protect the four million newly freed Black Americans. Available at the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/blackreconstruc00dubo (registration required). Teachers could assign sections of this text and compare it with more recent assessments of the Reconstruction era as an example of historiography.
Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution, 1863–1877
Eric Foner, 2014
View on Amazon
Foner’s comprehensive history chronicles how Black and white Americans responded to the Civil War and emancipation, examining Black Americans’ quest for citizenship, the transformation of Southern society, and the evolution of racial attitudes. He argues that Reconstruction was an “unfinished revolution” whose legacy shaped modern America and the Civil Rights Movement. Teachers could ask students to unpack the term “unfinished revolution.”
The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution
Eric Foner, 2020
View on Amazon
Foner argues that the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments constituted a “second founding” of the United States, fundamentally remaking the Constitution by establishing freedom and citizenship for all Americans. Teachers could ask students to debate whether this “second founding” created a more democratic and inclusive republic than what was established by the Constitution in 1787.
Be Free or Die: The Amazing Story of Robert Smalls’ Escape from Slavery to Union Hero
Cate Lineberry, 2017
View on Amazon
This riveting narrative recounts the incredible life of Robert Smalls—from his daring escape commandeering a Confederate ship to his service as a Union hero and five-term U.S. Congressman during Reconstruction. Students interested in this story can read excerpts from this book and use Smalls as a case study in agency and ingenuity.
Short Videos and Documentaries
The Reconstruction Era and the Fragility of Democracy
Facing History and Ourselves
https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/reconstruction-era-and-fragility-democracy-0
Facing History and Ourselves publishes free resources for teachers. This unit includes excellent short videos on Reconstruction, particularly Part I, Part II, and Part VI. The site also includes lesson plans, primary and secondary sources, and guidance on teaching this pivotal era. Teachers can access the resources for free after creating an account.
Amend: The Fight for America
Netflix, 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E4TUQ4THIE
This Netflix docuseries can be viewed for free on YouTube. The first episode focuses on the volatile Reconstruction Era and is an excellent resource for students. Teachers could explore the 14th Amendment and the concept of birthright citizenship as a case study in constitutional interpretation.
America After the Civil War
WETA, 2019
This four-part television miniseries reexamines Reconstruction, highlighting the ambitious effort to establish a biracial democracy in the South. Hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the series documents the political gains, educational aspirations, and cultural achievements of newly freed African Americans. Screening excerpts from the series can spark classroom discussions about how newly freed people defined freedom and citizenship.
Websites
Reconstruction
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/reconstruction
This site provides teachers with historian-driven educational resources on Reconstruction, including curriculum units, video lectures, and a wide range of primary source documents. Teachers can access the materials for free after creating an account.
Reconstruction Primary Source Set
Library of Congress
https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/reconstruction/
This Library of Congress collection includes political cartoons, photographs, maps, and legislation from the Reconstruction era. Materials are paired with a teacher guide that provides analysis tools and instructional suggestions.
Make Good the Promises
National Museum of African American History and Culture
https://www.searchablemuseum.com/make-good-the-promises/
This digital exhibition from the National Museum of African American History and Culture presents Reconstruction through the lens of Black resilience and political activism. The site highlights how newly freed people built schools, churches, and community institutions while exercising their new rights.
Glossary
- biracial
- Consisting of or involving two racial groups.
- Black Codes
- Laws passed in Southern states after the Civil War to restrict the freedom and rights of formerly enslaved people.
- constitutional
- Relating to or in accordance with the principles of a constitution.
- demonstration
- A public meeting or march expressing support for a cause or opposition to a policy.
- enfranchise
- To grant the right to vote to a person or group.
- excellence
- The quality of being outstanding or extremely good.
- franchise
- The right to vote; also called suffrage.
- historiography
- The study of how history is written and interpreted over time.
- integration
- The process of incorporating people of different racial backgrounds into a unified society or institution on an equal basis.
- Jim Crow
- The system of laws and customs enforcing racial segregation and discrimination in the South from the 1870s to 1960s.
- legislation
- Laws enacted by a legislature; the process of making or enacting laws.
- platform
- A stated policy or set of principles; in politics, a party’s declared position on issues.
- Reconstruction
- The period from 1865 to 1877 when the federal government attempted to rebuild the South and integrate formerly enslaved people into society.
- secondary source
- A source that analyzes or interprets primary sources; written after the events occurred.
- separate but equal
- The legal doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) allowing racial segregation if facilities were theoretically equal.