Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this middle school history lesson, explore the Reconstruction era that followed the Civil War. Using Thomas Nast’s 1874 political cartoon The Union as It Was and the Currier and Ives lithograph The First Colored Senators and Representatives, students analyze how art captured both the progress and the resistance that defined the nation’s attempt to rebuild.
Students use DBQ methods to guide their thinking: Group, VIEW, Evidence, Context, Thesis. By categorizing sources, applying the VIEW analysis, pulling direct evidence, adding historical context, and writing a clear thesis, students learn to make evidence-based arguments about how successful Reconstruction was in ensuring equality and rebuilding the nation.
Some components of this lesson contain terminology that is no longer used because the terms are recognized to be offensive or derogatory. These terms are retained in their original usage in order to present them accurately in their historical context for student learning, including understanding why these are not acceptable today.
This video is part of BRI’s nine-unit U.S. history and civics curriculum, which empowers middle school students to explore how Americans have worked to create and sustain a self-governing, free society. Through DBQs, students analyze key events, people, and ideas while practicing historical thinking and civic reasoning. The curriculum emphasizes the Founding Principles and civic virtues that have guided the nation across time, helping students connect the past to their present and future roles as engaged citizens.
00:00 - 00:15 Introduction to Reconstruction
00:16 - 00:27 Rebuilding the Nation and Ensuring Equal Rights
00:28 - 02:08 Thomas Nast’s The Union as It Was
02:09 - 02:39 Black Leadership and Progress During Reconstruction
02:40 - 03:12 Achievements and Resistance in Reconstruction
03:13 - 05:49 Applying the DBQ Method: Group, VIEW, Evidence, Context, Thesis
05:50 - 6:29 Lasting Impact of Reconstruction
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About the Bill of Rights Institute:
Established in September 1999, the Bill of Rights Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization that works to engage, educate, and empower individuals with a passion for the freedom and opportunity that exist in a free society. The Institute develops educational resources and programs for a network of more than 50,000 educators and 70,000 students nationwide.
Official Site: billofrightsinstitute.org
Facebook: / billofrightsinstitute
Twitter: / brinstitute
Instagram: / brinstitute
BRI Educator Newsletter Sign Up Page: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/new...
In this middle school history lesson, explore the Reconstruction era that followed the Civil War. Using Thomas Nast’s 1874 political cartoon The Union as It Was and the Currier and Ives lithograph The First Colored Senators and Representatives, students analyze how art captured both the progress and the resistance that defined the nation’s attempt to rebuild.
Students use DBQ methods to guide their thinking: Group, VIEW, Evidence, Context, Thesis. By categorizing sources, applying the VIEW analysis, pulling direct evidence, adding historical context, and writing a clear thesis, students learn to make evidence-based arguments about how successful Reconstruction was in ensuring equality and rebuilding the nation.
Some components of this lesson contain terminology that is no longer used because the terms are recognized to be offensive or derogatory. These terms are retained in their original usage in order to present them accurately in their historical context for student learning, including understanding why these are not acceptable today.
This video is part of BRI’s nine-unit U.S. history and civics curriculum, which empowers middle school students to explore how Americans have worked to create and sustain a self-governing, free society. Through DBQs, students analyze key events, people, and ideas while practicing historical thinking and civic reasoning. The curriculum emphasizes the Founding Principles and civic virtues that have guided the nation across time, helping students connect the past to their present and future roles as engaged citizens.
00:00 - 00:15 Introduction to Reconstruction
00:16 - 00:27 Rebuilding the Nation and Ensuring Equal Rights
00:28 - 02:08 Thomas Nast’s The Union as It Was
02:09 - 02:39 Black Leadership and Progress During Reconstruction
02:40 - 03:12 Achievements and Resistance in Reconstruction
03:13 - 05:49 Applying the DBQ Method: Group, VIEW, Evidence, Context, Thesis
05:50 - 6:29 Lasting Impact of Reconstruction
-----
About the Bill of Rights Institute:
Established in September 1999, the Bill of Rights Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization that works to engage, educate, and empower individuals with a passion for the freedom and opportunity that exist in a free society. The Institute develops educational resources and programs for a network of more than 50,000 educators and 70,000 students nationwide.
Official Site: billofrightsinstitute.org
Facebook: / billofrightsinstitute
Twitter: / brinstitute
Instagram: / brinstitute
BRI Educator Newsletter Sign Up Page: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/new...
