Common Core Writing Prompts and Strategies: The Reconstruction Era and the Fragility of Democracy
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This resource guides students through a deep exploration of the pivotal era of American history when a nation divided by slavery and war was challenged to rebuild.
The Reconstruction Era and the Fragility of Democracy
This resource guides students through a deep exploration of the pivotal era of American history when a nation divided by slavery and war was challenged to rebuild.
![Book cover of American flag with faces over it.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Reconstruction_cover_large.jpg?h=51bee232&itok=yY8xN3AK)
We Wanted to Be Treated as Men
Elmore Nickleberry and Taylor Rogers, two former sanitation workers from Memphis, share their memories of the events leading up to the 1968 sanitation strike, as well as their participation in the strike itself.
![Photo of Martin Luther King, Jr. marching arm in arm with a crowd of men participating in the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Worker's Strike.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/8885_1preview.jpg?h=2dd09070&itok=h0YSS1ZO)
Please Ring the Bell for Us
This cartoon, by Francis Knott for the Dallas Morning News, was published on July 7, 1939. It accompanied an editorial that described admitting refugee children to the United States as an “act of simple humanity."
![Children labeled "refugees" try to get into a door marked "US" as they look to a man labeled "Congress" for help.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/13_PleaseRingBell_Medium_res.jpg?h=870af43d&itok=7G_kpstt)
Fostering Civil Discourse: How Do We Talk About Issues That Matter?
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The ideas and tools in this guide will help you prepare students to engage in reflective conversations on topics that matter.
![Student art on the topic of "we choose"](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/we_chose_ctp_344330005_o.jpg?h=c6d0d1c4&itok=r8HMDWBE)
David M. Kennedy: "Twoness”
In this film clip from American Creed, historian David Kennedy discusses the complexity of American identity.
![](/sites/default/files/brightcove/videos/images/posters/image_1344.jpg)
Big Paper Example
In a Big Paper activity, students respond silently to a text excerpt or image by writing their comments on a shared paper.
![A text quotation taped on a large piece of paper with student feedback written in markers.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-08/Big_Paper_Example.jpg?h=481317ef&itok=oivQYEYv)
Taking Down the Confederate Flag
Learn about the recent debate over the Confederate flag in South Carolina following the murders at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston in 2015.
![Southeast view of the South Carolina State House with Strom Thurmond statue in the foreground.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/South_Carolina_State_House%2C_Columbia%2C_Southeast_view_with_Strom_Thurmond_Statue_FH2170671.jpeg?h=773321b5&itok=phpSrnZx)
Political Polarization in the United States
This Explainer defines the term political polarization and provides information on how it impacts US politics and society.
![Abstract red, white, and blue painting with thick brush strokes.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/PoliticalPolarization_full-res.jpg?h=5eef411c&itok=dyNgzenB)
Free and Fair Elections
This Explainer describes the standards that governments need to meet before, during, and after an election to ensure that the election is "free and fair."
![A line of U.S. voters submitting their ballots behind privacy screens.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Midterm_Elections_high-res_AP_17307716664453__Medium_res.jpg?h=c9f93661&itok=qQHpMtyK)
What is Migration?
Use this Explainer to help differentiate between terms like refugee, migrant, and asylum.
![A woman sitting in a full waiting area looks at her passport.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/2018_ImmigratioinOfficeinLima_FH289808.jpg?h=c9f93661&itok=j9-Gqh5y)