Retracing Reconstruction: America’s Second Founding in Archaeological Perspective

Summary

The National Park Service’s release of a theme study on Reconstruction and the creation of Reconstruction National Monument in Beaufort, SC, mark the agency’s commitment to scholarly and public engagement with the complex and continuing legacies of the post-Civil War period. The National Capital Region and the Organization of American Historians are conducting a historic resource study of Reconstruction sites in the region, including urban sites in Washington, DC, and small town and rural sites in parts of Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. This paper will discuss how spatial and archaeological perspectives on Reconstruction can enrich historical and political narratives. First, previous archaeological excavations at National Park Service units have uncovered insights into the conditions and challenges of daily life for rural and urban African Americans that can now be considered comparatively as part of a regional understanding of Reconstruction. Second, mapping the distribution of preserved and no longer extant historic and archaeological sites can help visualize regional trends and differences in African American community and institution building. It can also build connections to the present by revealing how urban development and demographic trends correspond with differences in site preservation across the region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20800