US History through the African American Experience

How did Reconstruction help freed slaves economically, socially, educationally, and politically?

Where justice is denied,where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where anyone class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe. Frederick Douglass

Write an essay in which you find four examples, one each for politics, economics, education, and social that show that between 1865 and 1877 African Americans were safe.

I. Intro paragraph. Copy the Frederick Douglass quote. Describe how during the Reconstruction Period, African Americans were able to be safe.

II. Politics: There is Justice and political representation

III. Economics: Where people succeed economically

IV. Education: Where ignorance is overcome

V. Social: when African Americans show they are not oppressed and are not degraded.

VI. What lesson can we learn from this time period? Does it apply today?

 

Write an essay in which you find four examples, one each for education, economics, politics, and social that show that between 1865 and 1877 that show that African Americans were safe.

Reconstruction Essay

Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where anyone class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe. Frederick Douglass Speech on the 24th anniversary of Emancipation, Washington, D.C.

Write an essay in which you find four examples, one each for politics, economics, education, and social that show that between 1865 and 1877 African Americans were safe.

I.      Intro paragraph.  Copy the Frederick Douglass quote.  Describe how during the Reconstruction Period, African Americans were able to be safe.

II.     Politics:  There is Justice and political representation

III.   Economics:  Where people succeed economically

IV.   Education:  Where ignorance is overcome

V.    Social:  when African Americans show they are not oppressed and are not degraded.

VI.   What lesson can we learn from this time period? Does it apply today?

When the Civil War ended, the U.S. Government had two big issues:

1. What will happen to the freed captive slaves?
2. How will the Confederate states re-enter the Union?

In this unit, we will focus on the first question and how it is related to the second.  Many people see the time period right after the Civil War as a disaster for the freed people, but during the 12-year period there were some great accomplishments. We will focus on the positive nature of freedom, justice and dignity after the Civil War. Some say that after the Civil War, African Americans really did not gain much freedom and were not treated equally. We will focus on the positive nature of freedom, justice and dignity after the Civil War.

Your project for this unit is to study one individual who distinguished him/herself during this time period.  You will pick one category from the list below in which they were successful and write a paragraph about them (maximum 250 words).

• Economic (jobs, land)
• Social (reuniting families, relocating)
• Education (literacy, schools built, colleges built)
• Politics (Laws passed, amendments passed, people elected)

To learn about Reconstruction, you will read in your textbook for this unit. As you read, you are only looking for the positive things that happened during this time period.  You will read about how the Civil War was “An Incomplete Victory,” but you want to focus on the “victory” part in this unit.

Please follow this syllabus to gather information for the question,

How did Reconstruction help freed slaves economically, socially, educationally, and politically?

Homework is due the day it is listed.  For each piece of information you record, first write the page number from the text where you got your information.

		Reconstruction 1865-1877How did Reconstruction help freed slaves economically, socially, educationally, and politically?
12/6		What would a freed slave need to be a really free man or woman? Set up notebook for taking notes with 4 pages with areas of success
12/6	Letter from Edisto Island	Read 260-7.  Place the following events in the proper “areas of success” and for each explain what it did and how it helped African Americans. Write the page number in the book where you got your information. Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments Reuniting black families Freedmen’s bureau Black education
12/7	Soule’s Letter	Chapter 11, “Emanuel Fortune Testifies Before Congress,” 269-271.  Add Fortune to your notes and explain why he represented success; list three things the federal government did that helped blacks be successful (p. 270); in the time line on 270-1, find 2 people you can add to your lists and tell what they did that
12/8		Read “Postwar Reconstruction,”271-6 and put the following information in the appropriate category in your notebook. Write the page number in the book where you got your information. Why the 14th Amendment was so important (272) Hiram Revels Fifteenth Amendment Frances E.W. Harper
12/9		Read “Elected Black Leaders,” 277-9.  Record information in the proper category on the following people/events.  Please put the page number of the information before you take the notes.  Remember that you are recording positive information. Hiram Revels (again) Blanche Bruce Jefferson Long Read the chart on page 278 to get more information on Bruce and Long
12/10	Human Rights Day	Remember we are looking for the positives of the time period of Reconstruction – the next few sections are negatives – so skim through Local Politics in the South, White backlash and the Enforcement Acts, 279-83.  Then read “The Freedmen’s Bank,” 283-5, and take notes on it in the economic category.
12/13		Read about Washington D.C. 284-7.  Write down 3 pieces of information in the social and economic boxes.  Make an entry for Mary Ann Cary.  Be sure to put page numbers on your entries.
12/14	Human Rights Day	Read African Americans on the Move, 288-91.  Take notes on Exodusters (social) Cowboys Martin Delany, Liberia
12/15	Biography due	Prepare for essay
12/16		Write essay