Unit 4 - Post-Civil War Era (1865-1900)
Rebuilding the South after the Civil War was not without its problems, evidenced in the following lesson on Reconstruction and with a map of southern Reconstruction. Putting the nation back into normalcy was not an easy task, one that came with many problems and obstacles to American society.
This link opens to two political cartoons about Reconstruction. Follow the instructions and write down your thoughts about what you see.
During Reconstruction, New York City was under the political control of William "Boss Tweed" and this short handout with pictures tells of his story.
Rebuilding the South after the Civil War was not without its problems, evidenced in the following lesson on Reconstruction and with a map of southern Reconstruction. Putting the nation back into normalcy was not an easy task, one that came with many problems and obstacles to American society.
This link opens to two political cartoons about Reconstruction. Follow the instructions and write down your thoughts about what you see.
During Reconstruction, New York City was under the political control of William "Boss Tweed" and this short handout with pictures tells of his story.
African Americans were supposed to be free after the Civil War but this was not the case in the South.
The handout on the 14th Amendment illustrates the rights that were given to former slaves but life for these people was anything but free. What was to take place was the creation of Black Codes and the Jim Crow Laws. This handout identifies the hardships that were faced after Reconstruction for African Americans. Jim Crow was a character in a variety show and this handout answers the question, Who was Jim Crow?
The handout above on the Jim Crow Laws identifies as turning point in the Plessy versus Ferguson Supreme Court case, the content and rulings of which are covered in this handout.
The handout on the 14th Amendment illustrates the rights that were given to former slaves but life for these people was anything but free. What was to take place was the creation of Black Codes and the Jim Crow Laws. This handout identifies the hardships that were faced after Reconstruction for African Americans. Jim Crow was a character in a variety show and this handout answers the question, Who was Jim Crow?
The handout above on the Jim Crow Laws identifies as turning point in the Plessy versus Ferguson Supreme Court case, the content and rulings of which are covered in this handout.
The Era of Reconstruction was also a time for the advancement of Women's Rights and these two handouts expand on the earlier lesson for the Seneca Falls Convention showing that the end of the Civil War helped the campaign for more equality. The following open to documents on the Women's Rights Movement and Women's Right to Vote.
It was not just African Americans that suffered after the Civil War but also immigrants, especially the Chinese. They were brought over as manual labor, in particular to build the transcontinental railroad and work the mines during the California Gold Rush. However, they did not assimilate into American society and were deemed as unwanted and undesirables. The following handouts describe their situation with the Chinese Exclusion Act and a lesson covering the Unwanted Chinese Immigrants
It was not just African Americans that suffered after the Civil War but also immigrants, especially the Chinese. They were brought over as manual labor, in particular to build the transcontinental railroad and work the mines during the California Gold Rush. However, they did not assimilate into American society and were deemed as unwanted and undesirables. The following handouts describe their situation with the Chinese Exclusion Act and a lesson covering the Unwanted Chinese Immigrants
The westward expansion that followed the Civil War and Reconstruction was a time of violence and discrimination towards the Native American people. This handout on the Indian Wars identifies and discusses the events and attempted "Americanization" of the Native American people.
To validate the treatment of Native American children that is mentioned at the end of the above handout, the video below was created by PBS Utah and is called "Unspoken" and it tells the sad story of how Native American children were forced to assimilate under the Dawes Act.
To validate the treatment of Native American children that is mentioned at the end of the above handout, the video below was created by PBS Utah and is called "Unspoken" and it tells the sad story of how Native American children were forced to assimilate under the Dawes Act.
However, even with these economic and political situations, the nation continued to grow and expand. The Last West and the New South shows this westward expansion and the lesson on Frederick Jackson Turner and the politically biased Article for the Frederick Jackson Turner offer a unique insight as to how the west was won.
