Final Post

Redefining Freedom: What Reconstruction and the Progressive Era Taught Me—In History and Beyond

For my final project in Talking About Freedom, my partner Oliver and I explored two of the most transformative periods in U.S. history: the Reconstruction Era and the Progressive Era. While these eras are often taught separately, bringing them together in a single presentation helped me see how deeply connected the struggle for freedom has always been in America. Reconstruction reshaped the nation in the aftermath of the Civil War, while the Progressive Era confronted the challenges of industrialization and inequality decades later. Together, they permanently changed how Americans understand citizenship, government power, and individual rights. 

Our Progressive Era timeline began in 1890 with the Sherman Antitrust Act, the first major attempt by the federal government to rein in monopolies and protect consumers (National Archives, https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/sherman-anti-trust-act). Under President Theodore Roosevelt’s Square Deal, the government took a more active role in regulating businesses, protecting workers, and conserving natural resources. The tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911 forced the nation to confront unsafe working conditions and led to sweeping labor reforms (History.com, https://www.history.com/topics/early-20th-century-us/triangle-shirtwaist-fire). The era also expanded democracy with the 16th and 17th Amendments, and in 1920, the 19th Amendment secured women’s right to vote.

Our Reconstruction timeline began in 1865 with the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery. That same year, the Freedmen’s Bureau was established to help formerly enslaved people adjust to freedom. The 14th Amendment granted citizenship in 1868, and the 15th Amendment protected voting rights in 1870 (Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/abolition-and-slavery/reconstruction/). However, the Compromise of 1877 effectively ended Reconstruction, allowing many of these gains to be weakened in the South. 

Looking at both eras together made it clear that freedom in the United States has always been contested and incomplete. Reconstruction centered on legal freedom and citizenship for formerly enslaved African Americans, while the Progressive Era focused more on economic justice, workers’ rights, and consumer protection. In both periods, the federal government expanded its power in response to national crises, and in both periods, resistance—from the KKK to powerful industrialists—pushed back against reform.

Beyond the history itself, what may stay with me the most is what this class taught me about learning. I am genuinely thankful for how Talking About Freedom strengthened my note-taking, presenting, and academic writing skills. I learned how to organize ideas clearly, defend arguments with evidence, and communicate confidently in front of others. Just as important, I learned the value of good-spirited debate—how disagreement can be productive, respectful, and even empowering when everyone is committed to learning.

This project showed me that freedom is not a fixed idea but something each generation has to redefine and fight for. At the same time, this class helped me grow not just as a student of history, but as a thinker, speaker, and writer. For that, I am incredibly grateful. Thank you to Professor Smith, and thank you to my incredible classmates, it has been a great journey this semester.

My EOTO Group Reflection (Key Post)

 

Progress Paid in Blood: The Violent Backlash to the Civil Rights Movement

After looking back at the slides on the violent backlash to the Civil Rights Movement that my EOTO group and I reviewed and went over, I was struck by how intense and organized the resistance to equality truly was. We often learn about the movement through its victories—especially Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which ended legal school segregation (https://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1955/347us483). But these slides shift the focus to the dangerous opposition that followed. They show that while progress was being made in courtrooms, real life was filled with violence, fear, and intimidation for those pushing for change.

One of the most disturbing parts of the presentation was the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan during the 1960s. As African Americans gained legal victories, extremist groups responded with violent intimidation, propaganda, and public rallies. The KKK even infiltrated local governments and law enforcement in some areas (https://www.history.com/topics/reconstruction/ku-klux-klan). What shocked me most was learning that some local authorities quietly supported or ignored these attacks. This meant that many civil rights workers were completely unprotected while simply trying to secure basic rights.

The section on Freedom Summer (1964) and the murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner was especially powerful (https://www.biography.com/activist/freedom-summer). These young men were trying to register Black voters in Mississippi when they were arrested, released into danger, and then murdered by KKK members in a planned ambush. The FBI investigation, known as “Mississippi Burning,” brought national attention to the case (https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/mississippi-burning). What stood out to me most was that even though several men were convicted of civil rights violations, justice came slowly and imperfectly. It is disturbing to realize that it took such horrific deaths for the federal government to take strong action.

The concept of “Massive Resistance” also stood out to me. After Brown v. Board, several Southern states—especially Virginia—used laws and political pressure to delay school desegregation for more than a decade (https://encyclopedia.virginia.edu/entries/massive-resistance/). Before seeing these slides, I assumed desegregation happened quickly after the ruling. Instead, I learned that resistance was carefully planned and legally disguised, showing how deeply segregation was defended.

The image of Governor George Wallace “Standing in the Schoolhouse Door” at the University of Alabama in 1963 really stayed with me (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/george-wallace-blocks-integration-at-university-of-alabama). A state governor physically blocking Black students from enrolling in a public university represents how powerful political leaders openly fought against equality.

Overall, these slides made it clear that the Civil Rights Movement was not just a story of peaceful progress and success. It was a struggle filled with violence, delay, and sacrifice. As a college student today, it is easy to take my rights for granted. Learning about Freedom Summer, the KKK’s resurgence, and Massive Resistance reminds me that many of the freedoms I enjoy now were paid for with real human suffering. This reflection pushed me to think more seriously about justice today and about my responsibility to not stay silent when inequality still exists.

Brown v. Board- Mock Trial Reflection

 

Brown v. Board: Both Sides of the Equation

In class, we learned that Brown v. Board of Education began when the parents of a young student, Linda Brown, sued the public school system for segregation under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Their argument was that having separate schools for Black and white students violated their daughter’s constitutional rights. The full case, decided in 1954 by the U.S. Supreme Court, can be explored through the Oyez website’s case summary of Brown v. Board of Education (https://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1955/347us483). While today this decision is widely seen as a major victory for civil rights, at the time there were serious arguments made on both sides, as we saw in our in-class Mock Trial.

The strongest argument for Brown v. Board was that segregation itself is inherently unequal. Even if schools appeared equal in funding or facilities, separating students by race sent the message that Black students were inferior, which harmed students psychologically and limited future opportunities. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which led the case, argued that “separate but equal” under Plessy v. Ferguson was a legal fiction that did not match reality. In practice, most Black schools were overcrowded, underfunded, and lacked basic resources. From a constitutional standpoint, supporters argued that segregation clearly violated the Equal Protection Clause by treating citizens differently based solely on race.

On the opposing side, defenders of segregation argued that Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) had already established “separate but equal” as constitutional law. The original Plessy ruling can be found through the National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/plessy-v-ferguson). They also argued that states should have the right to control their own school systems without federal interference. Some claimed that segregation reflected tradition and local customs, rather than discrimination. Others warned that forced integration would lead to social unrest and disrupt education across the South. There was also fear that overturning segregation would weaken states’ rights and expand federal power too far.

Looking back as a college student today, it is clear that Brown v. Board of Education was both morally and constitutionally necessary. Although resistance was intense and change was slow, the decision laid the foundation for the Civil Rights Movement and permanently reshaped how equality is defined in the United States.

AI Disclosure: For this blog post, I used ChatGPT to create something that is easy to comprehend and his polished in a form in which is far more organised than before. ChatGPT was used as it is the AI tool in which expands best into more controversial topics. From the notes I took in class came this AI enhanced post so that every reader can truly take it in and enjoy it.