TOPICs 5.10 and 5.11: Reconstruction

Who Gets to Tell the Story of Reconstruction and Why does it Matter?

Empowering Histories in Partnership with Zinn Education Project

I was thrilled to collaborate with the brilliant historians at the Zinn Education Project on this three-day Reconstruction lesson. Their Teaching Reconstruction Campaign offers many vital and inspiring resources on Reconstruction — a period so significant, yet seemingly impossible to cover fully within the APUSH timeline. Working with the Zinn team, we created a highlight reel that captures the most essential ideas of their lessons while staying on AP pace. As Lerone Bennett Jr. once described, Reconstruction was a “supreme lesson for America”: the first era of Black-led power, when formerly enslaved people fought to dismantle white supremacy and build multiracial democracy.

Over three days, students examine the context of historical literature about Reconstruction, discuss why it matters who gets to tell the story, analyze 30 essential primary sources, track Reconstruction’s progress, examine violent backlash, and compare evidence to secondary sources. The lesson concludes with a pop-up debate, encouraging students to reflect on how Reconstruction might have reshaped our nation if its promises had been fully realized. By engaging with this history, students see the power of collective action and understand the importance of being active participants in democracy.