Reconstruction and the Fourteenth Amendment

As the Civil War came to a close, the nation faced the monumental task of rebuilding the union. Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and the Radical Republicans in Congress all had different ideas about how to accomplish this task. In the wake of violent riots in Memphis and New Orleans, the Radical Republicans took control and pushed forward the Fourteenth Amendment to address some of the challenges of  reconstructing the nation.

Weblink address (URL): 
Reconstruction and the Fourteenth Amendment
Home Page for the Lesson Plan- Source

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives: 
  • The student will analyze the writings of Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson to determine their plans for Reconstruction.
  • The student will use evidence from primary sources to determine how successful each plan was.
  • The student will analyze text and illustrations of the Memphis and New Orleans race
  • riots to determine what took place during each event.
  • The student will analyze the text of the Fourteenth Amendment to determine its impact on Reconstruction policy in the wake of violence in Memphis and New Orleans.
Essential and guiding questions: 

How did the U.S. approach reconstructing the nation in the wake of the Civil War? How did the Fourteenth Amendment seek to address the failures of early Reconstruction policy?

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Applying
Extension suggestions: 
  • Ask your students to analyze the political cartoon “Mending the Family Kettle.” As students analyze the source, discuss the symbolism and the message the cartoon conveys. For a detailed description of the cartoon, check out the Encyclopedia of Virginia.
  • The Fourteenth Amendment is a powerful tool that has been used to extend equal rights to marginalized communities since its  ratification. Using the primary source set The Legacy of the Fourteenth Amendment, discuss the how this amendment has been used at different points in our nation’s history. 

Helpful Hints

Materials:

  • Fourteenth Amendment Worksheet
  • Reconstruction Timeline
  • Venn Diagram
  • Primary Source Analysis Tool
  • Index cards or post-it notes