Reconstruction

After the Civil War, the South had to deal with worthless Confederate money and local governments in disarray. This presented a wide range of economic and political opportunities for ambitious northerners who were often referred to as carpetbaggers. The southern states were gradually admitted back into the Union and damaged areas areas were rebuilt. During reconstruction racism was still a strong force. In an effort to get around laws, many southern states began to pass Black Codes. These were laws that prevented non-whites from working, owning land, voting, and even going to school. In the West the reconstruction treaty of 1866 granted the railroads the right to lay track across Indian Territory, resulting in the first transcontinental railroad in 1869.

 In Class Activities:

• Learned about the conclusion of the Civil War
• Discussed Black Codes
• Created our own metal embossed buffalo decorations
• Drew trains meeting at the first continental railroad 
• Learned about carpet bags and Carpetbaggers
• Discussed the effects of railroads on Native Americans

 Optional Lesson Extension Activities:

• Read The Great Railroad Race: The Diary of Libby West, Utah Territory 1868 (Dear America Series)  
• Read The Railroad (Life in the Old West)  
• Learn how to draw a train with Jan Brett 
• Turn your photo into a wanted poster and pretend to be an outlaw in the west

Assignment:

• Read timeline card #19
• Practice your timeline