This collection is designed to support teachers and students exploring the 2020 National History Day theme: Breaking Barriers in History. Included in this collection is an overview of Reconstruction and three African American leaders aligned with the NHD theme.

These resources - including  photographs, primary source documents, portraits, and articles - explore the efforts of Frederick Douglass, Hiram Revels, and Blance Bruce in overcoming  social, political, and economic barriers throughout the era of Reconstruction following the Civil War. These men were influential African American leaders who exemplified what was possible for newly freed people in the United States and who continue to inspire African American leaders to this day. It also explores the violent backlash to these changes in the political and social spheres of the United States - most notably through the terrorist activity of the Ku Klux Klan. 

By no means is this collection comprehensive; rather, it is intended to act as a starting point and provide inspiration for further research. 

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