Module 1: The Era of Reconstruction, 1865–1877
Section outline
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Image from Chapter 16 of U.S. History from OpenStax, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License v4.0 with the image information: political cartoon by Thomas Nast, which appeared in Harper’s Weekly in October 1874.
Few times in U.S. history have been as turbulent and transformative as the Civil War and the twelve years that followed. Between 1865 and 1877, one president was murdered and another impeached. The Constitution underwent major revision with the addition of three amendments. This module will explore this turbulent time in depth.
In this module you will be presented with an overview of the Reconstruction Era, focusing on the following topics: presidential Reconstruction, the disparity between southern white and African American expectations for the post-war South, federal programs for Reconstruction, the successes and failures of Republican state governments in the South during Reconstruction, and the circumstances and decisions that brought an end to the Reconstruction era. Students will learn that although Reconstruction reunited the states after the Civil War, the Radical Republicans' idealist program of freedom and equality for Black Americans, was never fully supported by whites in either the North or the South, and many gains for African Americans collapsed by 1877. Although the Reconstruction amendments (13,14, and 15) remained on the books but were unenforced until a “second Reconstruction” in the Civil Rights movement in the 20th century.Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:- Describe Lincoln’s plan to restore the Union at the end of the Civil War (CO 1-5)
- Discuss the tenets of Radical Republicanism (CO 1-5)
- Analyze the success or failure of the Thirteenth Amendment (CO 1-5)
- Describe the efforts made by Congress in 1865 and 1866 to bring to life its vision of Reconstruction (CO 1-5)
- Explain how the Fourteenth Amendment transformed the Constitution (CO 1-5)
- Explain the purpose of the second phase of Reconstruction and some of the key legislation put forward by Congress (CO1-5)
- Describe the impeachment of President Johnson (CO 1-5)
- Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the Fifteenth Amendment (CO 1-5)
- Explain the reasons for the collapse of Reconstruction (CO 1-7)
- Describe the efforts of White southern “redeemers” to roll back the gains of Reconstruction (CO 1-7)
To achieve these objectives:
- Read the Module 1 Introduction above.
- Read and view the materials in Chapter 1 (click below)
- View the Chapter 1 PowerPoint below.
- Complete Module 1 quizzes/assignments/discussion boards based on chapter/document reading.
Module Pressbooks Resources and Activities
You will find the following resources and activities in this module at the Pressbooks website. Click on the links below to access or complete each item.
- Describe Lincoln’s plan to restore the Union at the end of the Civil War (CO 1-5)
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