Blog/The Reconstruction Era
#TheReconstructionEra
The Reconstruction Era
Every Historical Conquest article on The Reconstruction Era — 34 pieces of narrative history written for students and teachers.
1. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: Emancipation Proclamation & The Meaning of Freedom
My Name is Frederick Douglass: Abolitionist, Orator, and StatesmanI was born into slavery in Maryland around 1818. I never knew the exact date of my birth, nor did I know
43 min
1. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: Emancipation Proclamation & The Meaning of Freedom
Citizen Broadcast: Learn About the Second Great Turning Point in U.S. History Alright, folks, buckle up, because today we’re going to talk about something foundational —
49 min
2. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: The 13th Amendment & The End of Slavery
Why the Emancipation Proclamation Was Not Enough When President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, it was celebrated by abolitionist
48 min
2. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: The 13th Amendment & The End of Slavery
My Name is Charles Sumner: U.S. Senator and Radical Republican LeaderI was born in 1811 in Boston, Massachusetts, into a household that believed deeply in learning and mo
51 min
3. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
My Name is Clara Barton: Nurse and Founder of the American Red CrossI did not begin life on a battlefield, yet war would shape my destiny. I became known as the “Angel of
50 min
3. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
The United States at the End of the Civil War (Spring 1865)By April 1865, four years of brutal conflict had reshaped the country. More than 600,000 soldiers were dead, va
52 min
4. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: Presidential Reconstruction under Andrew Johnson
My Name is Andrew Johnson: 17th President of the United StatesI was born in poverty, raised without privilege, and forged in the heat of political struggle. History remem
52 min
4. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: Presidential Reconstruction under Andrew Johnson
Citizen Broadcast about the Presidential Reconstruction[Radio Broadcast starts with Blues music playing in the background playing softly in background]Host: Good afternoo
47 min
5. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: Radical Republicans & Congressional Reconstruction
My Name is Benjamin Wade: United States Senator and Radical RepublicanI was born in 1800 in the rugged hills of Massachusetts, raised not among privilege, but among labor
51 min
5. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: Radical Republicans & Congressional Reconstruction
Who Were the Radical Republicans?When the Civil War ended in 1865, the United States stood at a crossroads. Four million formerly enslaved people were free, the Southern
51 min
6. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: The Freedmen’s Bureau
My Name is Oliver Otis Howard: Commissioner of the Freedmen’s BureauI was not born into war, nor into politics, nor into fame. I was born into a modest farming family in
51 min
6. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: The Freedmen’s Bureau
Why the Freedmen’s Bureau Was CreatedIn 1865, four million newly freed men, women, and children stepped out of slavery and into a freedom filled with uncertainty, danger,
51 min
7. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: The 14th Amendment & Citizenship Redefined
My Name is John Bingham: A Congressman Who Helped Define CitizenshipI was born on January 21, 1815, in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, though I spent much of my youth in the
56 min
7. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: The 14th Amendment & Citizenship Redefined
The Problem of Citizenship After the Civil WarThe Union had won the Civil War, slavery had been destroyed, and millions of enslaved people were suddenly free. Yet freedom
56 min
8. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: The 15th Amendment & Black Political Power
My Name is Henry Highland Garnet: Abolitionist Minister and Advocate for FreedomMy name is Henry Highland Garnet, and I was born into slavery in Kent County, Maryland, in
56 min
8. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: The 15th Amendment & Black Political Power
Why the Question of Black Suffrage Became UrgentThe war had destroyed slavery, and the Thirteenth Amendment had formally abolished it across the nation. Nearly four milli
53 min
9. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
My Name is William H. Seward: Secretary of State and Servant of the UnionI was born on May 16, 1801, in the small village of Florida in the state of New York. My father,
55 min
9. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson A President from Tennessee: Andrew Johnson’s Unusual Rise to PowerAndrew Johnson’s story began far from the halls of power in Washington
56 min
10. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: Black Codes & Sharecropping
My Name is Jourdon Anderson: Freedman, Farmer, and Voice of FreedomI was born into slavery around the year 1825 in Tennessee. I did not begin my life with the freedom to
50 min
10. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: Black Codes & Sharecropping
Black Codes & SharecroppingFreedom After the Civil War was one of the most dramatic turning points in American history. In 1865, after four long years of devastating conf
50 min
11. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: The Rise and Fall of the First Ku Klux Klan
My Name is Nathan Bedford Forrest: Confederate General & Ku Klux Klan LeaderI was born on July 13, 1821, near Chapel Hill, Tennessee. My childhood was spent on the rough
47 min
11. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: The Rise of the Ku Klux Klan
The Post-War South: Fear, Defeat, and Social UpheavalIn the spring of 1865 the Civil War ended with the surrender of Confederate armies and the collapse of the government
48 min
12. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: Women in Reconstruction
My Name is Sarah Moore Grimké: Abolitionist & Human Equality AdvocateI was born on November 26, 1792, in Charleston, South Carolina. I grew up in a wealthy and powerful f
47 min
12. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: Women in Reconstruction
The War Ends and Women Step Into Public LifeWhen the Civil War finally ended in 1865, the United States faced the enormous challenge of rebuilding a nation torn apart by
43 min
13. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: Southern Industry & Economic Rebuilding
My Name is Henry W. Grady: Journalist and Voice of the New SouthCities were damaged, farms were poor, and the region’s economy had fallen behind the industrial North. Thr
45 min
13. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: Southern Industry & Economic Rebuilding
The Economic Ruin of the South After the Civil WarAcross the Southern states, towns and cities that had once bustled with trade and commerce were scarred by war. Richmond
50 min
14. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: Supreme Court Cases That Limited Reconstruction
My Name is Joseph P. Bradley: Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme CourtI was born on March 14, 1813, in Berne, New York, in a quiet rural community where hard work and
46 min
14. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: Supreme Court Cases That Limited Reconstruction
The Supreme Court’s Role in ReconstructionWhen the Civil War ended in 1865, the nation faced enormous questions about freedom, citizenship, and equality. Congress passed
43 min
15. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: The Election of 1876 & The Compromise of 1877
A Nation on Edge: The Political Climate of 1876The year 1876 found the United States standing at a crossroads, a nation still healing from the wounds of the Civil War whi
42 min
15. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: The Election of 1876 & The Compromise of 1877
My Name is Rutherford B. Hayes: President of the United StatesI was born in 1822 in Ohio, just months after my father passed away. I was raised by my mother, a strong and
45 min
16. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: The Rise of Jim Crow Laws
My Name is Henry McNeal Turner: AME Bishop and Advocate for Black AutonomyI was born in 1834 in South Carolina, at a time when slavery defined the lives of millions. Thou
48 min
16. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: The Rise of Jim Crow Laws
The Rise of Jim Crow Laws From Reconstruction to Redemption: A Shift in PowerFrom Reconstruction to Redemption: A Shift in Power marked one of the most dramatic turning p
36 min
17. Heroes and Villains of the Reconstruction Era: Plessy v. Ferguson & “Separate but Equal”
My Name is Louis A. Martinet: Civil Rights Activist and AttorneyI was born in 1849 in New Orleans, a city unlike any other in America. It was a place where cultures blend
45 min
17. Lesson Plan from the Reconstruction Era: Plessy v. Ferguson & “Separate but Equal”
Setting the Stage: America After ReconstructionThe year is 1877, and the United States stands at a turning point that few fully understand in the moment. The Civil War is
39 min