What Was Reconstruction?

What was...?

by Sherri L Smith, Who H.Q., Tim Foley (Illustrator)

In the same style as the New York Times Best-Selling Who Was? series, What Was? focuses on compelling historical events, great battles, protests, and discoveries.

Learn about a pivotal time in American history and its momentous effects on civil rights in America in this enlightening title about Reconstruction.

Reconstruction -- the period after the Civil War -- was meant to give newly freed Black people the same rights as white people. And indeed there were monumental changes once slavery ended -- thriving new Black communities, the first Black members in Congress, and a new sense of dignity for many Black Americans. But this time of hope didn’t last long and instead, a deeply segregated United States continued on for another hundred years. Find out what went wrong in this fascinating overview of a troubled time.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, War

112 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 27, 2022

Reviews

[Daniel Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reconstruction was a failure. The union goals were to restore the southern states, restore its economy, and establish the rights of former slaves. The states returned. But the later goal met with resistance. Southern states passed oppressive laws. Compromises were made. President Andrew Johnson was a state’s rights advocate from Tennessee. He didn’t work with Congress. The northern states abandoned its efforts in 1877 in a secret deal to win a presidential election. White supremacists continued to control the South. Almost 50% of blacks eventually moved from the South to northern cities like Detroit, Chicago, and New York City. Many southern states now have strong economies but racism is still prevalent.

[Dale Rosenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is part of a children's series on historical issues published by the New York Times. It's the first one in the series that I've read and I was very impressed. It takes a difficult and complex topic - and one that is often neglected in public schools - and explains it carefully in a way that is accessible to the target audience: 8- to 12-year-olds. The book doesn't pull punches about how Reconstruction/Civil Rights Laws were resisted and how freed slaves were terrorized, and it is equally clear on how and why all the hard won advances were reversed to put Hayes in the White House. OTOH, it does end on a hopeful note.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of the What Was . . .? series. Learn about the promises and hopes of the Reconstruction Era (1865-1877) and how (IMO), the United States is still working towards them to this day.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

informative

Wished I’d had her writings as a young child. Not surprising that not much has changed. I’m hopeful for the generations to come

[Eden Wolfe · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my biggest issues with this book so far is that it grossly oversimplifies history. For example, the book does not specify that the slavery that the Civil War ended was chattel slavery in the United States. Just saying slavery ignores the other forms/types of slavery that were happening during this time and the slavery that is still happening all around the world. In addition, President Lincoln was not a big advocate for abolishing slavery, at the start of his presidency and for most of the war he was just trying to stop the spread of chattel slavery (which is a very different thing than trying to abolish it). Also, the Emancipation Proclamation did not actually help that many people that were enslaved. In addition, just because emancipation was done it did not necessarily mean equity, basically it did not end racism. Also, President Andrew Johnson’s Presidential Reconstruction was an embarrassment to the supposed American core values of Justice and Equality. Also, making the southern states basically pay to be allowed to join the United States of America again is one of the reasons that there is more poverty in these southern states (simple economics). The Black Codes were also used to protect the ability for areas to have sundown towns (you can search https://justice.tougaloo.edu/sundown-.... To figure out what towns these were). The chapter about how Chinese people in the United States were impacted was very short . The Fourteen Amendment (the one that protects your right to American citizenship if you were born anywhere in the United States) is currently being challenged by President Trump, I’m just pointing this out to demonstrate how reconstruction did not end racism and discrimination in the U.S. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 is an example of the government using checks and balances. Another issue in the book is that even though the book specifically mentions the fact that calling these tribes ‘civilized’ was ethnocentric and discriminatory, it continues to use this term when talking about Indigenous groups in the rest of the chapter. Stating the term ‘color line’ further implies that race was/had a clear distinction. I wish that the chapter over how women were impacted during reconstruction was longer. Impeachment has somewhat became more common in the present, however it seems like impeachment does not really force a president to resign. In parallel, the KKK is currently growing again just like what happened during ‘Redemption’.

I like that the book included a timeline in the back and that the author made sure to define important terms throughout the book. I also appreciated the fact that the book included information about how different groups of minorities were affected during the Reconstruction Era, while many of these were short chapters, it is a step forward for making introductory history books have a more holistic account of historical events.

[Cherese · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book answers the title question of 'What was Reconstruction?' While it had an abrupt end so did reconstruction. There's a couple pages of trying to help the reader understand how it relates to us today, but it was one of those iyk yk short wrap ups.

[Remy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everything was fine in this book until some modern political biases came up.
Quotes to show what I'm referring to:
"Even today, African Americans still struggle for equality in the eyes of the law..."
"In the early twentieth century, the Republican and Democratic parties began to change. Democrats grew more concerned with social change while Republicans became more conservative. (Both the first African American president, Barak Obama, and the first African American and Indian American female vice president, Kamala Harris, are Democrats.) Despite change in the two parties, history seems to be repeating itself. In 2020, the Republican party began working to restrict voting. As of 2021, nineteen states had passed new laws that some say will make it harder for Americans - especially people of color- to vote. At the same time, Democrats in Congress worked to introduce new voter protections with the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act."

The statements above are imo totally biased and against Republicans. Also, the information about the Republican party restricting voting and hurting people of color is false and in fact (imo) insulting to African Americans (look up what the proposals were). Check out the book Our Broken Elections (by John Fund) to get more info (at an adult level) on this topic. Any changes in voting laws that have been proposed are for making elections fair for everyone, independent of color or anything else.
There are a few more subtle instances in the book here and there that show bias.
Sadly, this book just couldn't leave modern politics out. If it had just focused on history, it would have been fine. If you are a conservative family, maybe you can leave out the last chapter or edit on the fly.

[Río · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not like this book.

I am glad that it exists, but I did not enjoy reading it.

With that being said, I am very glad that I read it, and I plan to read it again.

I was taught little about Reconstruction in school, and the bits that I did cover were done so in such a hurried fashion that nearly all of the data in this book was unfamiliar to me (e.g. I did not realize that President Andrew Johnson was such an active counter-agent of Reconstruction)

This book is a solid collection of facts. It can be very heavy to look at the cruel, violent examples of our nation's history, so if you have a child (or adult) who is reading this book I would recommend providing space for them to process and discuss the importance of learning about this period of history.

I had not realized how progressive the goals of the Reconstruction actually were at the start. I had assumed that the attempts failed because abolitionist politicians did not really care, but now I see that there were a lot who pushed for better legislation. While things still fell apart and even the positive legislation was poorly enforced at best, it gives me hope to see how much work people put into restoration.

I took a lot of notes and plan to review the context of this book. The impacts of slavery are by no means erased, even in the 21st century, and being aware of the history of reconstruction will be helpful as we continue the fight against discrimination and systemic racism today.

Overall, well-written, informative, and direct. A must-read, short book for all Americans.

[Henry Holman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes a look at arguably one of the most misunderstood topics of American history. Through its illustrations and easy-to-read text, it becomes a very useful tool for students who are learning about reconstruction. It allows kids to understand the big concept of Reconstruction and how it was successful, and eventually failed due to political compromise and white supremacy. This book is extremely useful because it teaches students about one of the most important turning points in American history. It can be used to teach students about civil rights, racial tensions, and divides in America, and even the 13th-15th amendments of the United States Constitution. I would definitely recommend this book to young readers who are interested in this time period.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the Who HQ series where it ends too abruptly. There was so much to learn about the history and trajectory post-Emancipation Proclamation, but then all of a sudden it jumps to President Obama and it's done.

The amount of information is necessary. I wish there were more YA titles about this topic and this is a good start for getting some foundational information, however, it simply stops!

Useful information and another good addition to the series itself to dive deeply into people, history, and events.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear and concise for young readers.

This is well written and carefully researched history of reconstruction in the southern U.S. states. Illustrations support important events over the entire timeline. There is some bias against poor whites in the South. Better balance in describing injustices during Reconstruction would be appropriate and helpful. Children need to know of injustice from varying viewpoints. Even so, the book is excellent description of horrific slavery. We should never forget the sin of slavery.

[Goddess of Chaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The era marks one of the greatest periods of hope in American history."

This book does a good job of looking at the period near the end of the Civil War and after it, focusing on the rebuilding of lives, the effort to reunite the United States, and the stumbling blocks that got in the way of Reconstruction.

In addition to looking at the events, I felt a good job was done exploring the different perspectives and motivations of people involved.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely one of my favorite books in the series. The factual representation of what happened in our country, and how colored people were affected is absolutely horrifying. It’s presented in a truthful, yet sensitive way so that young children can understand what happened and hopefully not be frightened, that I could ever happen again.

[Serenity · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part I found this to be a useful and factual resource appropriate for upper elementary. Something about the political commentary in the very last pages didn’t sit quite right but if you have students studying the American Civil War and Reconstruction this could be helpful.

[Ranette · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the exception of the last few sentences, this was an exceptional book on recontruction. The last few lines accert that republicans are trying to reduce access to voting. which is not true for American citizens.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book could be used as a start for explaining the history of Reconstruction in the classroom. It is an easy ready and has tons of facts that are most likely not included in standard textbooks of today. I would highly recommend it for that purpose.

[Bill Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely easy to read and easy to understand explanation of Reconstruction. Easy to understand for all ages.

[Krys · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

[Sagar Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very brief concise history. Definitely a starting point to explore further reading

[Jdub Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt very condensed and a bit to summary for such a little understood part of history.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read-aloud with kids, Feb. '25.

I think parts of this went over my kids' (ages 8, 10) heads. Probably better for middle school age.

A lot of good info given.

[Anniston Lasater · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very informative and interesting!

[Kelly ♈ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh what a sad time. I was also listening for echoes of history, to hopefully find answers for current issues. I just found more of the same-- I don't think a whole lot is different. I dream of a better world. I'm practically flummoxed how humans can exist for this long and still not have corrected and checked ourselves. It really is true that you must be the change that you wish to see in the world. I mean this on a much deeper level than I am effectively conveying.

[Ashlee Stingel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite HQ book. I think there were too many big concepts that didn’t fully explain the reconstruction period without a full discussion. Not best for just reading aloud.