Postwar Change and Growth

To reconstruct means to construct again, and that was just what was needed after the Civil War. The United States was a country torn apart at the seams. Ready to find out what it takes to heal a nation? For kids studying Reconstruction, Kids Discover Postwar Change and Growth carefully tweezes apart the competing interests and policies in the post-war period. First, kids get an overview of Andrew Johnson’s policies, the Southern response, and Congress’s response to the response, which included the 14^th and 15^th Amendments. Then they can read about the effect of these policies on the formerly-enslaved population in the South.

Kids curious about the people who populated the West will find plenty of details in this issue including information about the Homestead Act and the discovery of gold. The issue also contains many images and lots of information about Native American resistance to the settlers’ land grab and their ultimate acceptance of reservations. Kids who want more details about life in the North can read about the poor working conditions and low wages that led to strikes in the late 19^th century. They’ll also discover business leaders like John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie and lots of details about immigrants arriving from other countries.