HIST 372: Reckoning with Reconstruction, 1863-Present

Students in HIST 372: Reckoning with Reconstruction, 1863–Present explored how the history and legacies of Reconstruction can be interpreted through digital methods and public-facing historical scholarship. Moving beyond the traditional research paper, students developed digital projects that combined historical research, primary sources, and visual or interactive forms of storytelling.

The projects featured here demonstrate the range of questions that emerge when we consider Reconstruction not simply as a period that ended in the nineteenth century, but as an ongoing struggle over freedom, citizenship, race, political power, memory, and the meaning of the Civil War. Students used digital tools to organize and interpret historical evidence while considering how the medium through which historians present their research can shape the stories they tell.

These projects also reflect the broader mission of the History Design Lab: giving students opportunities to experiment with new ways of researching, interpreting, and communicating history to audiences beyond the classroom.

Explore examples of these students’ projects below to see the different approaches students took to reckoning with Reconstruction and its legacies.