The historical period immediately following the American Civil War is known as Reconstruction, when the country was faced with the challenge of bringing the states and citizens back together as one nation. The federal government created various policies which affected all Americans, including many that were designed to incorporate former slaves into a free society. For a glimpse into the life of a slave, listen to this interview from the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The success of these policies has been debated for many years. Curators of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture in Baltimore would like to include an exhibit about the lives of former slaves during the time of Reconstruction. Your class has been invited to research this issue and create materials to be presented at as part of this exhibit. Your exhibit presentation should inform museum visitors about the successes and failures of the American government's Reconstruction policies.

"The First Vote"
Harper's Weekly,
November 16, 1867

You will be working with a team of 3-4 students to research one federal policy or law enacted during Reconstruction to help former slaves become politically, socially, and economically part of a free society.

• Freedman's Bureau
• 13th Amendment
• Black Codes
• Civil Rights Act of 1866
• Reconstruction Acts of 1867
• 14th Amendment
• 15th Amendment
• Civil Rights Act of 1875

After completing your research, you and your team will prepare an exhibit presentation to inform museum visitors about the Reconstruction policy and it's consequences.

Your exhibit presentation can be created in one of these formats, as approved by your teacher:

• Poster
• Newspaper Article
• Power Point Presentation
• Oral Report with visuals (display, poster, overhead transparencies, etc.)
• TV News Report

Vote to Impeach
President Andrew Johnson
1868

The following scoring tools may be used or adapted by your teacher to evaluate your research process, group work, research product/presentation, and individual reflection response:

"First Colored Senator and Representatives"
U.S. Congress, 1872

Essential Question:

Subsidiary Questions:

• What are the elements of the Reconstruction policy you are researching?
• What were the changes for former slaves because of the policy?
• What benefits did former slaves receive from the policy?
• What was the reaction of others to the policy?
• What were the short or long term consequences of the policy?
• What questions do you have about Reconstruction policies?

Gather information from a variety of sources.

Use this graphic organizer to help you organize and record information you gather about your subsidiary questions.

Be sure to avoid plagiarism (Power Point slide show) and remember to cite your references. Check a research guide for details about the proper citation of sources. For MLA guidelines and examples, click here.

Organize

"Tuskegee History Class"
Photograph by
Frances Benjamin Johnson
1902

Analyze your research notes to determine if you have sufficient information to answer your subsidiary questions.

• Do you have enough details to explain this Reconstruction policy and its consequences?
• Is there a subsidiary question for which you did not find enough information? If so, decide whether to continue searching for information for this question, or eliminate it.
• Did you find interesting information which does not apply to any of your subsidiary questions? If so, decide if this information would be useful and interesting to your audience.

Share with your research team members, exercising flexibility in collaboration with your peers.

• Review your notes for each subsidiary question to combine and consolidate each team members' information.

Synthesize your findings. Synthesis is the act of pulling your research and ideas together to form new meaning.

• What new insights emerged about your policy?
• Which facts are the most compelling and would have the greatest impact on your audience?
• What facts did you find surprising about your policy?
• What facts are unnecessary or repetitive and should be left out?
• Prepare a first draft of your research project.
  • Create a mock-up (layout with text and graphics) of your poster.
  • Write a draft of your oral report or newspaper article.
  • Create a story board for your Power Point presentation or video production.

Evaluate the effectiveness of your research for the task.

• Are your details organized so that the consequences of your policy are clear?
• Revise or edit your draft materials as needed based on the assessment for your product.
• Create your product and plan your presentation with your team members.

Flag in front of
NAACP Headquarters
New York City, 1938

Presentation:

You and your team will present your findings about the federal Reconstruction policy that you researched. Each member of your team should participate in the presentation.

As other teams present their information, use this organizer to take notes on each of the Reconstruction policies in preparation for completing the reflection below.

Reflection:

Think about what you have learned about Reconstruction policies after the American Civil War to write a Brief Constructed Response to the essential question:

Refer to your research notes and presentation notes to support your response with details from the presentations. Be sure to include information about at least three of the Reconstruction policies, including the policy you researched.

Extension Activities:

• Research a 20th-century civil rights law, Supreme Court decision, or policy such as the Civil Rights Act of 1954, Brown v. Board of Education, and affirmative action. Why was this policy necessary, and how did it relate to the Reconstruction policies of the 19th century?
• Visit the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture in Baltimore to examine their materials on the Reconstruction era. How does the information presented in the museum exhibit compare to what your class found through student research?