Why Study Reconstruction?
The Reconstruction era was a pivotal moment in American history. Civil rights were set in motion as Americans grappled to rebuild after the division and trauma of the Civil War, raising essential questions about freedom and democracy.
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Roosevelt Williams Recalls Voting in Alabama
Roosevelt Williams describes voting in segregated Alabama in the 1930s and 1940s.
![Voters at the voting booths, 1945.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/1945_VotersAtTheVotingBooths_FH224203.jpg?h=6355ac16&itok=Y6NFJuGl)
The Spirit of Liberty
Judge Learned Hand, a federal judge and legal thinker, reflects on the roles of the law and citizens’ hearts and minds in upholding liberty.
![Portrait photograph of Judge Learned Hand.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/1910_BillingsLearnedHand_FH2170280.jpg?h=7f023bc4&itok=rMERs7hl)
Feathers of Hope
Read excerpts from a plan created by Indigenous youth activists to address the legacy of colonialism and residential schools in their communities.
![Cover of "Stolen Lives: The Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the Indian Residential Schools."](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/FHAO_stolenLives_HR_graphic.png?h=e2f3be3a&itok=E26V-38t)
Feathers of Hope (Les plumes de l’espoir)
Lisez des extraits d’un plan créé par de jeunes militants autochtones pour aborder le triste héritage du colonialisme et des pensionnats autochtones dans leurs communautés.
![Cover of "Stolen Lives: The Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the Indian Residential Schools."](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/FHAO_stolenLives_HR_graphic.png?h=e2f3be3a&itok=E26V-38t)
Letter From the Trenches
Read about what Priestley saw in the new year as a soldier in the First World War in his letter from the trenches in 1916.
![This photograph of the young Priestley, with his ‘innocent pudding face’ as he called it, is a poignant image when seen in the context of the horrors of trench warfare he experienced in the years after it was taken.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/photograph-of-j-b-Priestley_21cropped.jpeg?h=3a8cbacf&itok=8ywrDtcw)
The Parts, People, and Interactions of the Patriarchal System in Edwardian England
Read about some of the parts, people, and interactions of the patriarchal social system in Edwardian England, which saw women were treated as second-class citizens.
![“Westbury Leigh”, Edwardian postcard postmarked 1910](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/Westbury_Leigh%2C_Edwardian_postcard.jpeg?h=0ea0bc21&itok=TDr_ad8U)
Perspectives on the Gig Economy
Learn about different people's experiences of and perspectives on the gig economy in the UK.
![Food delivery worker riding a bicycle](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/kai-pilger-tL92LY152Sk-unsplash.jpg?h=bab50b3c&itok=l_haRipn)
Stanford Sexual Assault Victim’s Statement
Read an excerpt from Chanel Miller's powerful and courageous victim statement, which she read out in court during her attacker Brock Turner's trial.
"Where I'm From" by Melanie Poonai
In her poem, Melanie Poonai reflects on her identity, and all the factors that have helped shape who she is.
![Woman educator of color reads to the classroom.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-09/London_School_Classroom_Educator_%20of_Color_2019_FH2117924.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=JbFgqzT_)
Working Class Creatives: Excerpt One
Read an excerpt from journalist Eleanor Halls article which describes the problems faced by working-class artists and the barriers preventing them from engaging with the arts.
![Women painting outside.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/yale-cohen-Kz1Wr3Ls37Y-unsplash.jpg?h=c274347c&itok=ayI5mF6S)