If not already provided, distribute the Student Context to students in order to ensure they understand the impact of Reconstruction on the expected outcomes of the Civil War. Then, as a class, read Frederick Douglass’s, “Reconstruction.” Because it is a difficult document, it may be best to have a different student read each paragraph aloud to the class and then clarify its meaning. 

While reading the article, discuss the questions below as a whole group or through a Turn, Pair, Share structure:

• What is the firm principle of government that Douglass says is “deeply rooted in the minds of men of all sections of the country”?
• Why does this principle make it difficult to ensure the rights of African Americans in the southern states?
• Why does Douglass believe that “all the laws of the federal government” are insufficient to guarantee Black people’s civil rights?
• Why does Douglass believe that it is important to enfranchise African American men?
• What is the overall purpose of this article?