Reconstruction

A deep dive into the period after the Civil War, when the country struggled to both heal and find a way forward. An essential read for students ages 12 to 15 in today's cultural climate.

After the Civil War, Americans struggled to repair the divided nation. How does a country rebuild the infrastructure, government, and economy of a huge region while taking steps to resolve the status of 4 million newly freed slaves?

In Reconstruction: The Rebuilding of the United States After the Civil War, middle schoolers examine the era from 1865 to 1877, a time when the United States wrestled with questions that still plague the country today: Who should have access to citizenship and voting rights? How should the power of the federal government be balanced against the rights of the states? What is the proper government response to white supremacy?

Readers use an inquiry-based approach to explore how political, economic, and social problems were handled, during Reconstruction. Along the way, they design models for combating similar twenty-first-century problems, using critical and creative thinking skills.