Center for the Teaching of American History--Johnson and Schroeder

Social and Political Change in the 19th Century

The U.S. and the World in the 20th Century

Reconstruction Revisited: Why? What If?
Suzanne Johnson & Michael Schroeder
Vestal Central School District

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Suzanne Johnson and Michael Schroeder's project on Reconstruction is intended for Advanced Placement students. They introduce the project by describing the purpose, objective, and focus of the project. Johnson and Schroeder also explain how the activities align with New York State Teaching Standards, and provide guidance on assessment tools, procedure, and instructional technology.

The project centers on two activities that encourage students to think critically and creatively about the subject matter.
In Activity I, students first hypothesize about the needs, goals problems, and possible solutions for different people involved in the history of Reconstruction. Next, using primary sources provided by the instructors, students explore the same questions, this time drawing on "historical facts" rather than their own hypotheses.

In the second activity, students play the parts of various historical figures involved in the process of Reconstruction. The students research and write a paper on their chosen historical figure, and participate in a mock debate, based on their research.

Johnson and Schroeder's homework assignments are keyed to the textbook .............. Students define terms and demonstrate via short answer questions that they understand some of the major events and documents involved in Reconstruction. In addition, they answer more interpretive questions that require them to analyze and speculate on causality.

Johnson and Schroeder include an extensive set of documents in their project. The students utilize these at various points in the assignments described above. Most of the documents are lengthy quotes from historical actors, often "ordinary" people. Several political cartoons accompany the text documents.

To view the full text of Johnson and Schroeder's project, please follow the links below.

Overview

Objectives, NYS Standards, Assessment Tools

Activity: Hypotheses and "Historical Facts"

Homework Assignments

Activity: Reassembling the South: A Socratic Approach

Documents