Reconstruction and Reaction
A Montpelier Seminar for Educators
The period of Reconstruction lasts from the end of the Civil War through 1877. For many African Americans, some four million people that are freed from slavery from the Southern states, the experience of Reconstruction is simultaneously one of joy and tremendous promise and hope, and one of real hardship and uncertainty and sorrow. The 14th and 15th Amendments made efforts to protect the rights of African Americans, and briefly succeeded in enfranchising them. People participated in politics at unprecedented levels. At the local level people organized political associations to gain information about state and national politics. People participated in elections, and for the first time black men in meaningful numbers were voted into office at local governments, at the level of state governments, and even at the level of the national government.
At the same time, virtually every African American community had to contend with the legacies of slavery. Even before the endpoint of Reconstruction in 1877, many of the strides towards civil and political rights for African Americans were coming under attack. The legacy of this tumultuous period in US history reverberates today.
This seminar is brought to you through a partnership with the acclaimed Facing History and Ourselves. Facing History helps students connect choices made in the past to those they will confront in their own lives.
At the same time, virtually every African American community had to contend with the legacies of slavery. Even before the endpoint of Reconstruction in 1877, many of the strides towards civil and political rights for African Americans were coming under attack. The legacy of this tumultuous period in US history reverberates today.
This seminar is brought to you through a partnership with the acclaimed Facing History and Ourselves. Facing History helps students connect choices made in the past to those they will confront in their own lives.