Who is the public?

Concept: During Reconstruction, the United States had to begin creating a new society in which former chattel were citizens; this process was perhaps even more disruptive to the established social order of the South than the Civil War itself, as whites and blacks were forced to find new ways of coexisting. This process can be seen in the language used by teachers at the front lines of the Reconstruction effort to educate freed slaves. Standards Addressed: African-American history (1.3a, 1.3d, 2.3, 4.9, and 5.11b) and United States history (4.0, 5.0). General Goal(s): To use critical thinking skills to explore the concept of audience and public during Reconstruction by examining the language used in primary documents associated with this era Specific Objectives: 1. Students will synthesize secondary general information on Reconstruction from an educational website with specific primary source information from the Freedmens Bureau to compose an essay. 2. Students will be able to explain the concepts of public and audience. 3. Students will be able to make connections between the rhetoric of the Reconstruction period and the challenges of integrating society in the 20th century. Recommendations: This assignment could be conducted over two 50-minute class periods or during one 90-minute period depending on scheduling. Extensions for AP/Gifted Students: This could be a fully independent assignment given as take-home work, or students could be given the collection of documents without supporting material as a practice DBQ requiring them to provide their own context. Adaptations for Students with Special Education Needs: The assignment could be reformatted into a question/short answer format to create a more guided structure.

Who is the public?

A document-based question exercise for high school students using primary source material to explore local history.

Group Standing on Cemetery Lawn by Albert Kern, circa 1890-1899.

Who is the public?

During Reconstruction, the Freedmens Bureau and a number of aid societies formed to help newly freed slaves become part of American society. One of the most influential things they did was build and fund schools. Schools affiliated with the Freedmens Bureau and aid societies required teachers (usually Northerners) to send in monthly reports with information on attendance, funding, etc. These forms also included a space for making remarks on public sentiment. In this assignment, you will answer the following question: What does the use of the phrase public sentiment reveal about American society in the post-Civil War era? Use specific examples from the documents provided to support your answer. Other questions to address in your answer: Who is the public in these documents? Based on your background reading, what are some reasons the public might have the reaction it does? What impact might these ideas have had on twentieth century history? Background Information: Visit http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_freed.html for background information on the Jim Crow South and Reconstruction. Questions to consider: What was the Reconstruction, and why was it necessary? What was the Jim Crow South? Why was education so important to freed slaves? Why were some whites opposed to Reconstruction?

This is a sample of what the forms looked like in full. All of the documents will be provided in excerpt form.

Document 1: Date: December 1868 School: Vanguard of Freedom, Smyrna, Tennessee Teacher: W. L. Copeland State the public sentiment towards Colored Schools: I dont believe there are ten Whites in favor of it.

Document 2: Date: April 1869 School: Vanguard of Freedom, Smyrna, Tennessee Teacher: W. L. Copeland State the public sentiment towards Colored Schools: It is improving.

Document 3: Date: February 1868 School: Earnshaw School, Murfreesboro, Tennessee Teacher: Sue A. Henley State the public sentiment towards Colored Schools: total indifference.

Document 4: Date: October 1868 School: Vanguard of Freedom, Smyrna, Tennessee Teacher: W. L. Copeland State the public sentiment towards Colored Schools: Not knowing could not say. But I think it is not favorable.

Document 5: Date: March 1868 School: Vanguard of Freedom, Smyrna, Tennessee Teacher: W. L. Copeland State the public sentiment towards Colored Schools: It is unfriendly.

Document 6: Date: March 1869 School: Earnshaw School, Murfreesboro, Tennessee Teacher: Geo. W. Williams State the public sentiment towards Colored Schools: the better class of white inhabitants seem favorable to the school.

Document 7: Date: April 1869 School: Murfreesboro Normal and Primary, Murfreesboro, Tennessee Teacher: F. A. Couch State the public sentiment towards Colored Schools: Not hostile.