In the aftermath of the insurrection a year ago at the U.S. Capitol, many leading historians drew parallels between the violence and the Reconstruction era, the period of political revolution directly following the American Civil War.

As part of Black History Month, the Zinn Education Project has released a new report on how the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era is taught in American history classes in the United States. It is part of the ZEP campaign to encourage and support history and social studies teachers who “Teach the Truth” about racism in United States history and its defense of Critical Race Theory as an academic discipline. The National Park Service describes the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era, roughly 1865 to 1877, as “one of the most complicated, poorly understood, and significant periods in American history.”

Currently nearly 4 out of 10 students in the U.S. are being impacted by CRT/1619 Project bans and a rising tide of book censorship. Many educators are being silenced, often fearing (rightfully) for their careers.