West Virginia
Reconstruction Vignette
| Experience, a very sad experience too, has proven that this modern Radicalism grows by what it feeds upon; it is never full to satiety. Once, it asked only restrictions upon the spread of slavery; then it wanted negroes to serve in the army; then, because they had served in the army, it wanted them to be invested with citizenship; now they are to be admitted as witnesses in the courts, but does any person suppose radicalism will stop here? Tomorrow it will demand that negroes be qualified to act as jurors; the next day we will have the negro suffrage, the next absolute social equality will be conceded. . . . We have all got along very well under the old system, our courts have been able to administer justice very successfully in the past without the aid of negro testimony, and we can see no reason why any alarming catastrophe should overtake us by the continued exclusion of the negro from the courts. The introduction and passage of so unnecessary a measure at the present time shows that it is simply one manifestation of that spirit of radicalism which now rules the late Republican party. |
On Feb. 1, 1866, The Wheeling Register in West Virginia published an editorial against Black suffrage. The author decried the expanding rights of African Americans under federal law as a violation of states’ rights, catastrophizing the prospect of equality.
Source: Newspapers.com
West Virginia
Standards Overview
Coverage of Reconstruction: Partial
ZEP Standards Rubric Score: 3 out of 10
The coverage of Reconstruction in West Virginia’s standards is partial, and their content is subpar. The West Virginia Department of Education adopted the current West Virginia College-and Career-Readiness Standards for Social Studies in 2016.
West Virginia is a local-control state so local boards of education, administrators, and teachers develop curriculum. The Standards for Social Studies are divided into the areas of Civics, Economics, Geography, and History.
The West Virginia Standards for Social Studies will be up for review in 2024.
Grade 5
The social studies course on U.S. history spans from the Civil War to the United States’ “emergence as a superpower,” which falls sometime in the early 20th century. The standards are divided into the areas of Civics, Economics, Geography, History, and West Virginia History.
The History standards include Reconstruction. Students are expected to “examine the economic, political, and social developments during Reconstruction.” There are two examples:
Explain the effects of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination and the goals of Reconstruction.
Characterize the effects of Reconstruction on African Americans (e.g., rights and restrictions, 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments, rise of discriminatory laws and groups (Ku Klux Klan), motivations to relocate, and actions of the Freedmen’s Bureau, etc.).
The Civics standards also mention Reconstruction. One standard indicates that students should “summarize the provisions of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, including how the amendments protected the rights of African Americans and sought to enhance their political, social, and economic opportunities.”
Grade 8
The West Virginia Studies course spans from “the Pre-Columbian period to the present day.” The standards for this course mention the Revolution and the Civil War but do not directly mention Reconstruction.
Although the standards do not mention Reconstruction, they do engage with historical events from the period. The standards say students should “demonstrate an understanding of major social, political, and economic developments that took place in West Virginia during the second half of the 19th century.” Examples include:
Compare and contrast the West Virginia Constitutions of 1862 and 1872.
Summarize the changes that occured in West Virginia agriculture and industry during the late 19th century, including changes in family life in various regions and the growth of industry.
Explain the significance of increased immigration into the United States in the late 19th century to West Virginia, including cultural and economic contributions of immigrants, opportunities and struggles experienced by immigrants, increased racial hostility and the effect of racial and ethnic diversity on national identity.
High School
The 10th-grade United States Studies course spans the colonial period to World War I. Reconstruction is grouped with the Civil War in a standard that says students should “demonstrate an understanding of the causes and the course of the Civil War and Reconstruction in America.” Students in the course are expected to:
Evaluate effects of Reconstruction on the nation (e.g., the roles of the Civil War Amendments, Radical Republicans, etc.).
Summarize the progress and impact made by various groups in society (including African Americans, women, immigrants, etc.) during Reconstruction.
Trace societal changes in the United States brought about by the end of Reconstruction (the Freedmen’s Bureau, educational reform, political opportunity, new trends in legislation, Jim Crow laws, and the rise of anti-African American factions).
West Virginia also offers a high school course called United States Studies — Comprehensive that spans the colonial period to contemporary times. This course also says students should “demonstrate an understanding of the course of the American Civil War and Reconstruction in America.” Students are expected to evaluate the short-term and long-term effects of Reconstruction on the nation (e.g., Civil War Amendments, Radical Republicans, Jim Crow).
Educator Experiences
West Virginia teachers who responded to our survey reported that students lacked basic knowledge of the history of Reconstruction and state standards did not do an adequate job encouraging teachers to address that lack. One high school teacher from Morgantown explained that “we need to do a better job of teaching this period of history” because it is such a “pivotal point” in the narrative of racial oppression in the United States.
Assessment
West Virginia’s standards do broadly cover Reconstruction in middle school and high school. They mostly offer a limited narrative focusing on politics, but with important mentions of the KKK, Freedmen’s Bureau, and “the progress and impact” of Black people on society during Reconstruction. There is little sense in these standards of how, why, and by whom Reconstruction was defeated; it simply ends.
The learning expectation in the United States Studies – Comprehensive high school history course that students should evaluate the “short-term and long-term effects of Reconstruction on the nation” is a strong question that should be made a part of the mandatory curriculum at all levels. It could be further improved by reframing the question to assess the effects of Reconstruction and of the defeat of Reconstruction on the nation as a whole and Black people in particular
Teaching Reconstruction effectively requires centering Black people’s struggles to redefine freedom and equality and gain control of their own land and labor during and after the Civil War. Any discussion of Reconstruction must also grapple with the role of white supremacist terrorism in the defeat of Reconstruction and the negative and positive legacies of the era that persist to this day.
In 2021–2023 legislative sessions, Republican lawmakers introduced several bills designed to ban teaching about “divisive concepts” related to racism and sexism or “race or sex scapegoating.” Two similar bills were introduced in the 2024 legislative session. Even when no bills have passed, their introduction remains troubling. Several respondents to our survey expressed concern about the possible chilling effects on classroom education that such bills can have around the country, particularly on discussions of the history and legacies of Reconstruction.