Ch 11: Reconstruction After the Civil War - Middle School US History: Homeschool Curriculum
About This Chapter
Who's it for?
This unit of our Middle School U.S. History Homeschool course will benefit any student who is trying to learn about Reconstruction. There is no faster or easier way to learn about Reconstruction after the Civil War. Among those who would benefit are:
- Students who require an efficient, self-paced course of study to learn about Andrew Johnson's impeachment, the Indian Wars, the 15th Amendment and the end of Reconstruction.
- Homeschool parents looking to spend less time preparing lessons and more time teaching.
- Homeschool parents who need a U.S. history curriculum that appeals to multiple learning types (visual or auditory).
- Gifted students and students with learning differences.
How it works:
- Students watch a short, fun video lesson that covers a specific unit topic.
- Students and parents can refer to the video transcripts to reinforce learning.
- Short quizzes and a Reconstruction after the Civil War unit exam confirm understanding or identify any topics that require review.
Reconstruction After the Civil War Unit Objectives:
- Review the legacy of President Abraham Lincoln's administration.
- Understand how President Andrew Johnson tried to extend Lincoln's reconstruction plans.
- Explore Andrew Johnson's impeachment.
- Learn about the election of President Ulysses S. Grant, along with his successes and corruption scandals.
- Get an overview of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments, which were adopted during the Reconstruction.
- Discover how the Reconstruction affected African-Americans.
- Examine the southern U.S. post-Civil War.
- Analyze women's suffrage, the transcontinental railroad and the Homestead Act.
- Look at the resistance between American settlers and Native Americans.
- Review the election of 1876 and how it ended Reconstruction.
- Read about the successes, failures and goals of the Reconstruction.

1. President Lincoln's Legacy: Plans for a Reconstructed Union
With the end of the Civil War, there came a resounding need for some sort of reconstructed Union. President Lincoln took that task on headfirst, as he established the Ten Percent Plan to help the Southern states enter back into the Union peacefully. Learn about Lincoln's plans to reconstruct the Union and the competition that this president faced by the Radical Republicans.

2. President Andrew Johnson: Attempts to Continue Lincoln's Reconstruction Plan
Taking over from President Lincoln following his assassination, President Andrew Johnson built upon Lincoln's moderate reconstruction plan, handled the southern border crisis of the time, and sought to defend states' rights. Explore the strengths and weaknesses of Johnson's attempts at continuing Lincoln's plan for the reconstruction of the Union in the wake of the Civil War.

3. The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson: Conflict Between President and Congress
Andrew Johnson was the first US president to be impeached. Learn about the conflict between President Johnson and Congress that led to his impeachment. Review the 14th Amendment, Military Reconstruction Act, and the Tenure of Office Act. Explore the actions of Congress and how they passed laws without President Johnson's support.

4. President Ulysses S. Grant: Election, Successes and Corruption
General Ulysses S. Grant, Union hero of the U.S. Civil War, won the presidential election in 1868 and served two terms. Examine Grant's successes (fighting to protect civil rights), failures (making decisions without consulting his cabinet), and corruption (members of seven departments, including his own vice president, were involved in at least 11 scandals) that clouded his tenure as president.

5. The Reconstruction Amendments: The 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments
The historical era known as Reconstruction (1865-1870) saw the ratification of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, which address slavery, citizenship and voting rights. Learn more about the 13th Amendment (abolition of slavery), 14th Amendment (granting citizenship, due process, and equal protection under the law), and 15th Amendment (early voting rights), and how they helped begin the process of developing political equality for African Americans after the Civil War.

6. Reconstruction's Effects on African Americans: Politics, Education and Economy
Reconstruction's effects on African Americans was positive, with opportunities for self-improvement and advancement. Study the lives of four black leaders and their influence on politics, education, and economy in this period of American history.

7. Life in the South After the Civil War
Learn about life in the South after the Civil War. This lesson will explore the problems in the South after the war, sharecropping and convict leasing, the Redeemers and the Plessy vs Ferguson case, and paramilitary groups.

8. Transcontinental Railroad, Homestead Act and Women's Suffrage
In addition to the Civil War, Reconstruction and the Manifest Destiny, three other important events were evolving in the U.S. in the mid- to late-19th century. Discover the Homestead Act, which encouraged settlers to move west; the Transcontinental Railroad project which further enabled expansion to the West; and the fight to secure women's rights to vote, also known as Women's Suffrage.

9. The Indian Wars: Struggle Between Native Americans and Settlers
In the late 19th century, disagreements between white settlers and Native Americans led to what are known as the Indian Wars. Learn about the history of the Indian Wars, the Lakota Sioux Tribe, the Nez Perce People, and the Apache Tribe.

10. The End of Reconstruction and the Election of 1876
Learn about the end of Reconstruction and how it is related to the election of 1876. This lesson explores what led to the end of Reconstruction, the shift in politics, the Panic of 1873, supreme court cases of the time, and the election of 1876.

11. Reconstruction Period: Goals, Success and Failures
The Reconstruction period spanned 1865 - 1877, where the Republicans worked to repair the South after the Civil War. Learn about the goals, successes and failures of the Reconstruction period.
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