Teacher Resources: 
Reconstruction in Louisiana

Online Exhibitions


How to use this site 

The purpose of this project is to provide teachers with lesson materials for students in grades 7 through 12 that explore Reconstruction in the United States through primary sources materials that illustrate, describe, and contextualize key historical events in Louisiana from 1865 through the early 1900s. 

This page describes the content sections and provides additional resources for teachers. 

 

Content Sections

This site has five sections, including an introduction, three main content sections, and a conclusion:

Each main content section includes:

  • Summaries of significant events with related primary sources
  • Links to primary sources in footnotes
  • Critical thinking questions for the classroom
  • An activity based on primary sources

Use each content page to provide students with an overview of that era of Reconstruction in Louisiana. Follow links to primary sources to have students analyze content, determine author/ creator’s point of view, compare viewpoints, evaluate sources, and more deeply investigate events. Critical thinking questions can guide classroom discussion. Students can used linked primary sources to help them answer the critical thinking questions and develop their own arguments. Adapt the provided activity in each section to your classroom’s needs. 

 

Themes, Topics and Timeline

The Content Matrix and Timeline (pdf) includes all the events, topics, and themes covered in these materials and additional key events of Reconstruction in Louisiana and the United States. The matrix shows how the content was organized into sections and the timeline lists all events in chronological order. Both are color coded by topic. 

The lesson materials address four overarching themes in Reconstruction:

  • Race relations and unequal treatment of Black Americans
  • Federal government vs. state government control
  • Expanded voting rights and contested elections
  • Roles of executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government in shaping Reconstruction

The themes are explored through historical events organized into four topics:

  • Elections
  • Public action (violent and nonviolent)
  • Laws and legislation
  • Court cases

 

Louisiana Student Standards

Click here to see a full list of Louisiana Student Standards (pdf) addressed in these learning materials, including: 

  • Louisiana Student Standards for Social Studies
    • Grades 7-8 and 9-12 Skills and Practices
    • Grade 7 The United States and Louisiana: Early Republic Through Reconstruction
    • Grade 8 The United States and Louisiana: Industrial Age Through Modern Era
    • High School Civics
    • High School United States History
  • Louisiana Student Standards for English Language Arts
    • Grade 7 Reading Standards for Informational Texts
    • Grade 8 Reading Standards for Informational Texts
    • Grade 9-10 Reading Standards for Informational Texts
    • Grade 11-12 Reading Standards for Informational Texts

 

Primary Sources List

All primary sources referenced in the content sections can be found on this master spreadsheet of Reconstruction in Louisiana Primary Sources (pdf), including source name, date, and link to each source.  

 

Activities Answer Key

This Activities Answer Key (pdf) provides answers for each activity linked in the content sections and typed transcripts for every scanned newspaper article and other original texts. 

 

Further Resources

Additional educational resources for Reconstruction from other museums, educational institutions, organizations, and government agencies can be found here!

 

Reconstruction in Louisiana
Reconstruction in Louisiana
The House Joint Resolution Proposing the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, January 31, 1865; Enrolled Acts and Resolutions of Congress, 1789-1999; General Records of the United States Government; Record Group 11; National Archives.

Introduction to Reconstruction in Louisiana

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Black-and-white 19th-century-style engraving depicting a crowd of men gathered around a wooden building that is engulfed in flames. Thick smoke billows into the sky as the fire spreads. Several figures in the foreground raise their arms or gesture toward the blaze, while others run or stand watching. Additional structures appear in the background, suggesting a town or settlement. The scene conveys chaos and urgency as the fire consumes the building.

Early Reconstruction: Shifting Power, New Laws, and Racial Tensions, 1866–1870

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Black-and-white photograph of a row of butchers standing outside their stalls at the French Market in New Orleans. The men wear white aprons and stand beneath a covered arcade with arched openings and exposed beams. Meat hangs in the foreground, and a few women and a child stand farther down the walkway.

Late Reconstruction: Tested Amendments, Disputed Elections, and Continued Violence, 1870–1877

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Political cartoon showing two hands clasped over a revolver resting on scattered papers with phrases about “civil war,” “fraud,” and “violence.” The imagery suggests a tense truce or uneasy agreement following conflict.

Post-Reconstruction: Segregation, Activism, and the Courts, 1877–1896

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Black-and-white photograph of the base of a stone monument with an engraved inscription. The text states that U.S. troops took over the state government during Reconstruction and claims that the 1876 national election “recognized white supremacy in the South.” The carved message reflects a Lost Cause interpretation of events.

Conclusion: Rise of Jim Crow and the Legacy of Reconstruction

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Funded by a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program. Content created and featured in partnership with the TPS program does not indicate an endorsement by the Library of Congress.