It is the summer of 1867 and Black citizens of Alabama must forge new lives as free people. This historical issue guide asks you to consider Reconstruction from the perspective of freedpeople in this era of our state’s history—people who were faced with difficult, and limited, choices after emancipation.
Historical Issue Guides
Freedom: Reconstruction 1867
Votes for Women: Suffrage 1915
The year is 1915 and Alabama suffragists are asking “What is the best path forward to secure voting rights for women?” This resource guides students through the history of women’s suffrage and asks young people to consider what decision they may have made if they were living in 1915. Would they look to the federal government to take action? Would they fight for change on the state level? Or would they work to change society’s perception of women?
Creek War of 1813 – 1814
The David Mathews Center, in partnership with Auburn University’s Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities and the Clarke County Historical Society has recently published a new historic issue guide: The Creek War of 1813 – 1814.
Separate and Unequal
Separate and Unequal in 1963: How Can We Create a Fair Society? is a 22-page historical issue guide developed in 2014 by the David Mathews Center for Civic Life, Alabama Public Television (APT), and additional partners for use in a classroom setting.
In Separate and Unequal in 1963, students are asked to place themselves in 1963 Birmingham, Alabama to deliberate together through the difficult choices faced by those working to address segregation and inequality.