While the Era of Reconstruction lasted for only 12 years, it has had a much broader impact on modern U.S. history with particular regards to issues involving civil rights, citizenship, and equal opportunities.
Based on your understanding/interpretation of the materials presented in this module, what did freedom mean to nearly four million people who had been slaves?
What were some of the main elements of the separate Reconstruction programs offered by President Johnson and the Radical Republicans in Congress?
How were newly emancipated slaves able to make strides under Reconstruction?
What was the South’s reaction to these plans?
According to the documentary, how is the forced labor that was practiced in the American South after the Civil War connected to slavery in broader American history?
How do the effects of violence and intimidation highlight the fragility of democracy? And what are some examples of this era’s legacies in today’s society?
