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Adventure of the American Mind
Reconstruction: America's Dream and Disappointment
Adventure of the American Mind
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Adventure of the American Mind  

Welcome to Ms. Steward's AAM Web Site!

"When the Works Progress Admistration sent agents into the black belt during the Great Depression to inteview former slaves, they found Reconstruction remembered for its disappointments and betrayals, but also a time of hope, possibility, and accomplishment. . . . The institutions created or consolidated after the Civl War - the black family, school,and church - provided the base form which the modern civil right revoltuion sprang. And for its legal strategy,the movement returned to the laws and amendments of Reconstruction." - Historian Eric Foner

Thomas Nast's celebration of the emanciation of Southern slaves with the end of the Civil War.

The years immediately following the American Civil War brought forth dramatic social, economic,and political changes. For the newly-freed men and women, Reconstruction offered the possibility that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness could be realized. Sadly, these promises were not fulfilled. Reconstruction ended in disappointment. Yet during Reconstruction and after, men and women struggled to revolutionize American society. Seeds were planted.
 

This site explores the promises of Reconstruction as well as its failures. Students will review the Constitutional amendments that defined citizenship and voting rights. They will research primary source documents that illustrate the successes and disappointments of Reconstruction. Students will select a primary source document to evaluate the success or failure of this historic era.

 

power point overview of project

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Marcia Steward
Lincoln-Way East High School
Last Updated on January 21, 2006