Browse Exhibits (1 total) In this lesson students will examine
how the actions of people in government during Reconstruction,
1865-77, affected the choices that individuals made. Students
will consider the life of African Americans in Virginia during
this period, noting how the national government’s actions and
the Virginia government’s actions impacted the education of
African Americans in Virginia. This lesson focuses on the
opportunities that Reconstruction opened up for African
Americans, providing students the opportunity to learn about
William Jasper and his family. It works well after students have
learned about slavery and the Civil War in Virginia, and before
students study the effects of segregation and Jim Crow on life
in Virginia – a time during which many of these opportunities
were taken away.