Introduction
The cost of the Civil War was astounding. Total deaths surpassed 600,000. Collectively, the number of dead and wounded reached approximately 1.1 million. Economically, the war cost billions. While the South faced widespread destruction, it had to go through a process of reconstruction to be brought back into the Union.
The task of mending the nation called for extraordinary leadership like that found in President Abraham Lincoln, who was reelected to his second term in 1864. Although Lincoln had prepared a plan for Reconstruction before the war ended, he was not around to see that his plan was carried out.
The painting depicts the tragic event that changed history and the process for reconstructing our nation after the Civil War. In this lesson, you will learn more about Lincoln's assassination, the impact of the war on the state of our country, and Reconstruction.
Throughout this unit, we will be discussing many of the events on this Reconstruction: Key Events timeline.
Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to...
- Compare congressional and presidential Reconstruction plans, including African American political participation
Essential Questions
- How did politics influence the plan for Reconstruction following the Civil War?
Enduring Understandings
- Although Reconstruction was a brief period in American history, its social and political effects impacted America well into the 20th century.
The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: United States History I standards: 15.