Reference no: EM133723723
Assignment
Historical Challenge: The Meaning of Emancipation in the Reconstruction Era
Part I: Examining Illustrations- Name of the Thomas Nast illustration you selected:
A. Discuss the scene, paying attention to details and what they might mean. Discuss the "message" that the illustration conveys to you.
B. Note the date of the illustration. Given that Nast was a Radical Republican, what does the illustration tell you about the political mood of the Radical Republicans at that time?
Part II: Voices of Former Slaves
A. What is most striking, interesting or surprising to you about the thoughts and memories of these former slaves?
B. How did each of them experience their emancipation during and after the Civil War?
C. Do you find anything particularly revealing about the preoccupations, grievances or concerns these former slaves discuss in their stories? For example, why do you think Fountain Hughes was so preoccupied with the problem of debt?
Part III: Political Issues and Debates
A. What were the political developments during Reconstruction that made freedom, as ex-slaves perceived it, possible?
B. What obstacles (social, legal, economic, or political) stood in the way of ex-slaves actually achieving a meaningful degree of freedom?
C. Consider the tensions and disagreements between members of Congress and between Congress and the President. What were the Radical Republicans up against when they fought for the rights of newly freed people?
Part IV: Exhibition Review
A. How does this exhibit shape your view of the impact of emancipation and Reconstruction on newly freed African-American people? In other words, what overall impression does this site give you about the Reconstruction years?
B. How did the lives of newly freed men and women change during Reconstruction era, given what you have seen on this site? In your answer, identify FIVE examples of changes that this website has called to your attention and briefly describe the nature of the changes.
C. What are the strengths and limitations of a virtual exhibition like this? Is there anything significant in the "story" of Reconstruction that is left out in this exhibit? If you were to add other artifacts or documents to this exhibit, what would they be, and how would they give a different feel to the exhibit?