American Studies DBQ: Reconstruction

Historical Context

• Post-Civil War South was devastated.
  • Infrastructure destroyed (roads, railways).
  • Southern economy in ruins.
• Reconstruction (10-year period) aimed to:
  • Rebuild the South.
  • Reintegrate Confederate states.
  • Complete emancipation and ensure civil rights for freedpeople.
• Key changes included Constitutional Amendments:
  • Abolition of slavery.
  • Citizenship for African-Americans.
  • Voting rights for Black men.
• Resistance, especially in the South:
  • White Southerners used terror and violence.
  • Efforts for equality largely rolled back.
  • Rise of Jim Crow laws (segregation, discrimination, violence).

Prompt

• Evaluate the success of Reconstruction.

Directions

1. Read the main prompt carefully.
2. Annotate documents and answer questions.
3. Brainstorm using a graphic organizer.
4. Write a 5-paragraph essay using documentary evidence and historical facts.
5. Use the rubric to proofread and revise.

Reconstruction Timeline

• 1865: Civil War ends, Lincoln assassinated, Johnson becomes president, 13th Amendment passes, Freedmen’s Bureau created.
• 1866: Civil Rights Act, Ku Klux Klan founded.
• 1867: Radical Republicans take over.
• 1868: 14th Amendment passes, first African American elected to Congress.
• 1869: Grant elected president.
• 1870: 15th Amendment passes.
• 1871: Ku Klux Klan Act passed.
• 1872: Freedmen’s Bureau ends.
• 1874: Democrats control Congress.
• 1877: Hayes elected, officially ends Reconstruction.

Document A: The Reconstruction Amendments

• 13th Amendment (1865): Abolished slavery.
• 14th Amendment (1868): Citizenship and equal protection.
• 15th Amendment (1870): Voting rights regardless of race.

Document B: Henry Adams Statement

• Personal account of post-war freedom struggles.
• Violent resistance from white Southerners.
• Freedpeople faced threats, violence, and lack of recognition.

Document C: Black Codes

• Laws restricting freedoms of African Americans.
• Examples: movement restrictions, housing bans, meeting prohibitions.
• Aimed to control and limit Black autonomy.

Document D: Education

• Freedmen’s Bureau established schools.
• Education crucial for empowerment and progress.
• Desire for education contrasted with hardships.

Document E: Elected Black Officials

• Many African Americans elected to office during Reconstruction.
• Indication of some political success and representation.

Document F: Chain Gangs

• Representation of forced labor post-Reconstruction.
• 13th Amendment’s exception for criminal punishment exploited.

Document Set G: Modern Political Representation

• Comparison of 2008 election results and African American representation.
• Increase in African American congressional members over time.

DBQ: Reconstruction Essay Prompt

• Analyze the success of Reconstruction.
• Requirements:
  • Strong thesis with three subclaims (one counterclaim).
  • Five paragraphs (introduction, body, conclusion).
  • Use in-text citations for document references.