Unit 9: Reconstruction Model Organizer and Scoring Guide

Breakdown: Answers will vary. A sample response is provided.

Example: How well did Reconstruction fix the problems caused by the Civil War and give African Americans equal rights?

Graphic Organizer: Answers will vary based on thesis.

Thesis: Answers will vary. Sample responses are provided.

Examples:

1. Reconstruction was somewhat successful because it passed powerful laws like the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to promote equality, but it also faced serious opposition that limited real change, especially in the South.
2. Reconstruction was successful in writing laws that gave African Americans freedom and rights, but many people and leaders still found ways to block those rights, especially in the South.
3. Reconstruction was not very successful because even though slavery ended and citizenship was promised, African Americans were still denied equal treatment and protection.
4. Reconstruction made some progress, like opening schools and passing new laws, but racism and resistance from leaders like President Johnson stopped true equality from happening.
5. Although the Freedmen’s Bureau and new amendments tried to help African Americans, Reconstruction failed to fully protect their rights or change attitudes in society.
6. Reconstruction was a step forward because it ended slavery and gave African Americans the right to vote, but it didn’t solve the bigger problems of racism and unequal treatment.

Sample Grouping:

Group 1: Legal Protections and Efforts Toward Equality (Successes)

• Document A – Thirteenth Amendment (1865)
  Ended slavery throughout the U.S., which was a major step toward freedom.
• Document B – Fourteenth Amendment (1868)
  Gave citizenship and equal protection to anyone born in the U.S., including formerly enslaved people.
• Document C – Fifteenth Amendment (1870)
  Gave Black men the right to vote, helping them participate in government.
• Document E – Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving Dinner (1869)
  Showed a hopeful vision of an inclusive America where all races and backgrounds were welcomed equally.
• Document G – Classrooms for Black Children (1866)
  Shows efforts to educate Black children.

Group 2: Resistance and Limitations (Failures or Incomplete Success)

• Document D – The Freedmen’s Bureau! (1866)
  A racist poster mocking the Freedmen’s Bureau and portraying Black Americans as lazy. It reflected efforts to turn white voters against Reconstruction.
• Document F – President Johnson’s Veto Message (1866)
  Argued that African Americans weren’t ready for citizenship and equal rights, showing resistance from the president to Reconstruction laws.

VIEW Examples:

Document A: The Thirteenth Amendment (1865)

• Voice: Congress and the states, through the U.S. Constitution.
• Intent: To end slavery in all parts of the United States.
• Environment: Passed right after the Civil War ended, when the country needed to rebuild and deal with the issue of slavery.
• Who: All people in the U.S., especially formerly enslaved African Americans.

Document B: The Fourteenth Amendment (1868)

• Voice: Congress and the states, again through the Constitution.
• Intent: To make sure African Americans were recognized as full citizens with equal rights.
• Environment: Passed as Southern states passed “Black Codes” to limit the rights of African Americans.
• Who: African Americans and anyone born in the U.S.

Document C: The Fifteenth Amendment (1870)

• Voice: Congress and the states, again through the Constitution.
• Intent: To give Black men the right to vote.
• Environment: Passed after African American men began voting and participating in politics during Reconstruction.
• Who: Black men and other formerly enslaved people.

Document D: The Freedmen’s Bureau! Poster (1866)

• Voice: Opponents of Congressional Reconstruction.
• Intent: To turn white voters against the Freedmen’s Bureau and equal rights for Black Americans.
• Environment: A time of strong political division over how to handle freedom and the question of race relations after the Civil War.
• Who: White voters in Pennsylvania and the general public.

Document E: Classrooms for Black Children (1866)

• Voice: Likely created by someone supporting education for Black Americans.
• Intent: To show the efforts being made to teach African American children after slavery.
• Environment: During Reconstruction, when schools for Black children were being established-often run by Northern teachers.
• Who: Freed Black children along with white teachers, likely from the North.

Document F: President Johnson’s Veto Message (1866)

• Voice: President Andrew Johnson.
• Intent: To argue that African Americans weren’t ready for full citizenship and to stop Congress from passing the Civil Rights Act of 1866.
• Environment: A time when Congress was trying to pass laws to protect Black rights and Johnson was trying to stop them.
• Who: Congress, African Americans, and the American public.

Document G: Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving Dinner (1869)

• Voice: Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist and supporter of Congressional Republicans.
• Intent: To celebrate a vision of equality and inclusion in America after the Civil War.
• Environment: Near the end of Reconstruction, when people debated what kind of country America should become.
• Who: Readers of Harper’s Weekly, a publication read across the nation.

Group 1: Legal Protections and Efforts Toward Equality (Docs A and G)

• Document A: The Thirteenth Amendment (1865)
  • VIEW Sentence: In 1865, Congress passed the Thirteenth Amendment to legally abolish slavery in the United States.
  • Quote/Detail: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude… shall exist within the United States.”
  • Connection to Thesis: This powerful law showed that Reconstruction aimed to promote equality by ending slavery, a major step toward freedom for African Americans.
  • Historical Context: After the Civil War, the federal government began Reconstruction to reunite the country and address the status of formerly enslaved people.
• Document G: Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving Dinner (1869)
• VIEW Sentence: In 1869, Thomas Nast created a political cartoon that imagined an inclusive America where people of all races and backgrounds could participate equally at Thanksgiving dinner.
• Quote/Detail: The banner at the bottom reads: “Come One, Come All, Free and Equal.”
• Connection to Thesis: The image reflects how some Americans hoped Reconstruction could help build a more equal society.
• Historical Context: This cartoon was published in the middle of Reconstruction, when debates occurred over how to implement Reconstruction policies.

Group 2: Resistance and Limitations (Docs D and F)

• Document D: The Freedmen’s Bureau! Poster (1866)
• VIEW Sentence: In 1866, opponents of Reconstruction used racist political posters to turn white voters against the Freedmen’s Bureau and equal rights for African Americans.
• Quote/Detail: The bureau is mocked as being supported by “Rum, Gin, Whiskey” and “White Women,” suggesting it encourages laziness and immorality.
• Connection to Thesis: This image shows how racist attitudes and propaganda limited Reconstruction’s success, especially in the South.
• Historical Context: Many white Southerners resisted efforts to help formerly enslaved people, and racist campaigns like this one helped elect leaders who opposed equality.
• Document F: President Johnson’s Veto Message (1866)
• VIEW Sentence: President Andrew Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Act, arguing that African Americans weren’t ready for full citizenship.
• Quote/Detail: “…a race of people who… have not yet been lifted up from slavery.”
• Connection to Thesis: Johnson’s opposition represents a major obstacle to Reconstruction, weakening efforts to protect African Americans’ rights.
• Historical Context: Johnson, a Southern Democrat who became president after Lincoln’s assassination, clashed with Congress and tried to block laws meant to help freed people.

Clearly and directly answers the question with a strong, defensible claim.

Provides a clear, logical structure that outlines key points.

Clearly identifies the author, purpose, historical context, and/or audience for at least three documents. Provides insightful analysis of the document’s significance.

Provides accurate and appropriate historical context that explains the significance of the source and relates it to the time period.

Groups documents in a thoughtful and effective way that strengthens the argument.

Effectively integrates relevant evidence from documents to support the claim.

Specific details and well-chosen quotations are effectively used to support claims.

Thesis is clearly written, well-organized, and easy to understand.

Free of errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.