Around the Horn

 

This week we finally had Around the Horn!  It was a debate/discussion style sports show on ESPN from 2002 to 2014.  Instead of debating Sports we debated/discussed Unit 5.  I was so impressed with Around the Horn for each class!  Students MUST know this information to be successful on the APUSH Exam on May 10, 2024.  I was present to how much the STUDENTS understood about Unit 5!  I LOVED the debates.  Here were the questions we debated and some of the big ideas that stood out.

1. What was the most significant change for Black Americans from 1860 to 1890?

2. Were the Radical Republicans or Redeemers more successful in achieving their agenda during Reconstruction?

3. What was the impact of Westward Expansion on Native Americans from 1850 to 1900?

4. What was the most significant cause of the American Civil War?

5. Was Reconstruction a Failure?  If yes, How?

Question 1

Almost every class said the same things: Reconstruction Amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments), Freedmen's Bureau, North winning the Civil War, and Hiram Revels.  One class discussed how nothing could be possible if the North did not win the Civil War.  I truly believe one sign that Reconstruction was working was the Election of Black Congressman!  Great Outside Knowledge - Hiram Revels was the first Black Congressman elected.  Freedmen were exercising their new freedoms and liberties.

Black Congressman elected during Reconstruction

Question 2

Every Class debated the word during in the question.  Which warmed my APUSH heart!  Every class had different answers, and their evidence made them correct.  But from a historical standpoint Redeemers were the ultimate winner.  Redeemers were Southern Deomcrats reclaiming their government.  They hated the Radical Republicans, and undid everything that was accomplished during Reconstruction!  One class even brought up how the U.S. Government did not stop the Southern Discrimination against the Freedmen.

Question 5

The big question Historians always ask is was Reconstruction a Failure?  I heard yes and no all day, but the answer is no.  Reconstruction is a failure just like the Articles of Confederation.  Ultimately what ended Reconstruction was the Compromise of 1877.