The Legacy of Radical Reconstruction

Savannah is beautiful after most of the devastation you've seen throughout the South. Then you remember why. Sherman gave it to Lincoln for a Christmas present.

As you move through the streets of the city,you sense an excitement in the air. People are congregating in the streets, reading newspapers, talking, arguing, and waving their arms. Why is there so much discussion? You ask a couple, and they inform you that Hayes has finally been named the winner of the presidential election of 1876.

"When the election results were contested, a tacit compromise was arranged: Democrats would allow the Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes to assume the presidency, and in return Republicans would not challenge Democratic victories in those three states, despite the wholesale violence that had contributed to them." These words come from an important looking man in a top hat. He then assures the crowd that he understands that Hayes will withdraw all of the military units from the South and restore full governing ablities to the Southerns states. He is met with cheers and heartfelt applause. (The above quotation comes from http://www.historychannel.com/thcsearch/thc_resourcedetail.do?encyc_id=220403 , if you would like to read further.)

You and your colleagues realize that every occupied country throughout history has longed for the day it could be free of military presence. You understand the jubilation, but you also remember the events of yesterday and last night. What will happen to the freedmen?

You listen further as the man with the top hat insists that with the military gone, new laws will be made to "reestablish social stability." He describes what he says will become the Jim Crow Law. (Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_Laws and read from the beginning down through Plessy v. Ferguson.)

Later you find a Savannah News Times paper, and you notice two more political cartoons by Thomas Nast that truly disturb you--not because of what they suggest, but because of what you have witnessed.

That night you and your fellow reporters meet to discuss everything that you have learned on this journey.

First, you must complete your notes. You must decide together what you have learned and complete the study guide which your editor gave you.

Second, you must work collaboratively (all together) to write an editorial for your paper.
Editorial description:

• one and a half to two pages long
• typed and double spaced with one inch margins
• in Arial or Times New Roman
• size 12 point type
• headed (introduced) with the title, the group members names, the date.
• first half is your group's discussion and explanation of Radical Reconstruction, it's successes and failures
• last half is your group's prediction of what the legal, economic, and social conditions of African Americans (indeed, all minorities) will be for the next 77 years. Explain why you decide as you do and provide evidence to support your claims.

Finally, as a goup, you will create a political cartoon that shows either your view of Radical Reconstruction or your view of the future for the freedmen. Remember, a political cartoon is not meant to be funny or ridiculous. It is meant to give a startling symbolic image which persuades the viewer to consider the artist's opinion.

(Your rubric describes how you will be graded.)

You realize that you are not the same person you were before this trip. You've learned information and witnessed events that will forever change how you think about freedom, citizenship, and opportunity. You realize you do not want to sit by. You must decide: Will you be part of the solution or part of the problem? Will you allow the legacy to continue?

What will you do?