American History 105 Final Project
“A Day at the Museum”
For this project, you will be creating displays for a museum exhibit entitled, “Reconstruction: Success or Failure?” Your exhibit will show the changes that occured in America during Reconstruction. Your exhibit will include artifacts, visuals and maps that show how the United States changed after the war.
Requirements for Project
You will have a total of 8 items included in your museum exhibit. You will create each item to help show the impact of Reconstruction. There are 6 required items listed below. Then you may choose the remaining 2 items you would like to include.
Each item must have a 2-3 sentence caption underneath that explains why the item was included in the exhibit.
Every project must include:
- An artifact related to the Freedman’s Bureau. You could create an advertisement for the services of the Bureau, a letter to the Bureau asking for help, or a story about how the Bureau has helped an emancipated slave.
- A map that shows the Military Reconstruction Act and how it divided up the South. In your caption, explain what the law was, why it was enacted, and how Southerners reacted to the law.
- A diary entry that explains how life has changed since the end of the Civil War. Your diary entry should be written from one of the following perspectives: an emancipated slave, a former plantation owner or Confederate leader, or a Northerner who has moved to the South during Reconstruction.
- A newspaper article that announces the Compromise of 1877 and explains how it
brought Reconstruction to the end.
6. A creative title for your museum exhibit
Then, you may choose two additional items you would like to include. Possible items you may include:
- – An obituary for Abraham Lincoln
- – A timeline that includes the key events of Reconstruction
- – Additional artifacts, such as letters, newspapers, political cartoons or diary entries
- – Pictures, visuals, tables, maps, or charts