Part II:Take-Home
Essay
PROMPT:
Historians conclude that while Reconstruction ended slavery after the Civil War in 1865, it failed to challenge the ideologies of race that once defended slavery. As a result, racism continued to inform policies in the decades following the Civil War. In a 5-6 page essay (double-spaced; 11-12 pt font), explore the racial legacies of the Reconstruction era. Give 3 separate, well-supported examples of racial legacies, or the way(s) in which racial formations significantly informed the development of American society between 1870-1940. Use assigned readings and lecture to support your argument.
Topics you might discuss: the failure of Reconstruction to provide economic freedom for former slaves; rise of “lynch law”; the rise of Jim Crow; the rise of new race ideologies (like Social Darwinism or the “science of race”) and its influnece on immigration policy, citizenship decisions, the rise of a US Empire, or U.S. Indian policy. [These are just suggestions. Do not do all of these and you are not limited to these topics.]
Primary source choices: Ida B. Wells, literacy test, black codes, Jim Crow laws, Mayor Landrieu’s speech, Haunani K. Trask, any of the doc excerpts from US-Philippines debate, Dennis Kearney, Lee Chew, Rose Cohen, stories from Balderamma interview, etc…