Presentation reflection, What I learned

 

Understanding the Complexity of Reconstruction

Over the past few classes, my understanding of the Reconstruction Era and the long fight for racial equality has deepened in ways I didn’t expect. I always knew the basic timeline slavery ends and almost a century later the Civil Rights Movement takes shape but I didn’t realize how much struggle filled the years in between. Listening to my classmates’ presentations and examining these stories showed me that progress in America has never been straightforward. It has always been a constant push and pull between change and resistance.

Union vs. Confederacy Clash

Legal Freedom vs. Real Freedom

One of the biggest lessons I learned was that “freedom” after the Civil War wasn’t immediate or guaranteed. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were monumental, but they didn’t instantly transform people’s lives. That’s why the Freedmen’s Bureau became such an important symbol. It didn’t just pass laws it provided schools, reunited families, offered legal support and gave newly freed people the chance to build stable lives.

The story of “40 acres and a mule” especially struck me. Even though the government later broke the promise, those brief months when Black families actually lived on that land showed what equality could have looked like if real opportunities had been provided.

Portrait of Carver an Influential Agricultural Scientist

Leadership, Resilience, and Progress

 I was also inspired by the leaders who helped create   progress despite barriers. The Tuskegee Institute stood   out to me as a powerful example students building the school themselves, George Washington Carver  transforming agriculture and later the Tuskegee Airmen breaking military boundaries. These stories made the   era feel personal, not just historical.

The Harsh Reality of Anti-Miscegenation Laws

Interracial Couple Challenging Marriage Laws

Learning about Anti-Miscegenation Laws shocked me the most. The idea that interracial marriage was illegal until 1967 showed just how deeply racism controlled people’s personal lives. The Loving v. Virginia case demonstrated how an ordinary couple Mildred and Richard Loving changed the entire nation simply by defending their right to love one another. Even after the ruling, some states dragged their feet for decades.

Final Takeaway

What I’ve learned is that Reconstruction wasn’t just a period it set the stage for every civil rights struggle that followed. It taught me that real progress needs laws, resources, courage and consistent resistance to injustice.

Ai disclosure, I used Chat GBT to use my notes to make a blog post, however I edited so that it better reflected my ideas and the things that I wanted to say in the blog post. I made sure that I also used a format that would make it in a college freshman style.