Historical Background: Many people were inspired by the abolition of slavery to demand things that they had previously considered impossible. This meant that after the Civil War many new social movements emerged and there were some attempts to bring them together, but by 1870 those fighting for justice in different movements remained divided.
The fundamental question for these historical actors was: how can we achieve fuller equality for the people we are fighting for? You will see that the characters felt passionately about women and African Americans, but as you know, if you drill deeper, different interests emerge within each group. Each reformer had to decide: should I work for women’s rights, African Americans’ rights, or both? How does labor and class factor into my goals?
Setting: The year is 1872. You have just arrived at the home of a wealthy philanthropist. He supports many of the social movements that have coalesced in the years following the Civil War and has invited various people active in these movements to his home for a mixer. You may have met some of these people before, but most are strangers to you. You are eager to chat with these folks and learn about how their interests and goals overlap with yours – or don’t. Could some of these people become valued allies? Or will they see you as competing for resources and sympathy? Some might believe that your message and goals could hurt their own chances for success. At this mixer, you must present your own goals and ideas and learn about those of others. Again, there might be important allies at this event. Perhaps the host might even donate money to your cause! Therefore, you want to put your best foot forward and have your pitch ready.
Purpose: We are going to meet many of the people involved in these movements to understand not only what brought them together after the Civil War, but also the conflicts that ultimately kept them apart. You’ll build your awareness of these nuances, as well as practice your research and analysis skills by gleaning information from your primary source based on the example in the Using Primary Sources in Your Research page.
Tasks:
PART I: Find your Person, Analyze your Document, and Write Your Introduction
FIND YOUR PERSON. You (and each of your classmates) have been randomly or alphabetically assigned the role of a real historical figure – see this page to see their brief bio and a primary source associated with them. Read this information closely in order to “play” them in the Discussion.
PRIMARY DOCUMENT STUDY. Analyze the primary source associated with your character in their bio to see what persuasive arguments, strategies, or quotes they may have used to further their movement – you’ll put these to use in your elevator pitch!
To do this: refer to the “Using Your Document for the Reconstruction Mixer outline” on the “Using Primary Sources in Your Research” page to help you glean helpful information and/or relevant quotations from your individual’s primary source.
Using the “An Example” part of this page as a model, answer each of these questions about your identified primary source.