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Homework: Was Reconstruction a Failure?

Directions: Complete the reading listed below. Then type out your answers to the questions. You should submit your answers to Canvass and be prepared to discuss your answers to these questions in class on the day they are due.

Readings:

• Stamp, “The Era of Reconstruction, 1865-1877”
• Foner, “The Odds Against the Success of Reconstruction Were Great”
• Hollitz, CH1, “Historians and Textbooks: The “Story” of Reconstruction”
• Documents: 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments to Constitution

The Question:
The Era of Reconstruction lasted from just over a decade, from the end of the Civil War in 1865 to 1877. This time period was an attempt to breathe life into the meaning of the Union’s victory in that conflict and to find a way to knit the shattered nation back together. Having emancipated the slaves, the country had to define what, exactly, freedom would mean. Having defeated the Confederacy the country had to decide when, how, and under what conditions to readmit formally the defeated southern states back into the Union. Southern state governments had to decide how to build new political coalitions and fashion new publics that had to grapple with defeat in war while working to define and then protect freedom.

Your task here is to assess how well this era accomplished the monumental tasks set before it. How did the nation do in tackling all the problems laid at the feet of Reconstruction? Essential to answering this question well is to have a clear understanding of how you are defining and measuring “success” and “failure.” Complete enough of the reading to get a sense of how you want to answer this question, then write a one to one and a half page response to this question. Be sure to draw on the readings for your answer, using specific details when appropriate.