A 5th Grade teacher whose school subscribes to GreenBookofSongs.com® asked us to suggest songs she could use when teaching about the post-Civil War period of Reconstruction. Her syllabus included the following discussion points:

1. Devastation in the South after the war, from different viewpoints
2. Government plans for Reconstruction
3. Segregation and discrimination (e.g., “Jim Crow” laws)
4. Sharecropping

This is not one of our easier assignments! But we were able to find a good selection of songs. See the Amazon.com widget at the end of this post to listen to audio clips.

Devastation in the South after the war, from different viewpoints

• An Old Unreconstructed Waylon Jennings. This folk tune vehemently expresses a Rebel soldier’s resentment of the side that defeated him.
• Hard Times Come Again No More Kate and Anna McGarrigle. Though written by Stephen Foster prior to the Civil War, the song provides an effective backdrop for a discussion of the poverty and loss experienced throughout the South at the war’s end.
• No More Auction Block For Me Sweet Honey In The Rock. This spiritual captures both the pain of the past and the hope for the future.

All three songs can be found on the album Songs Of The Civil War (Columbia).

Government plans for Reconstruction

Many teachers will enjoy Oscar Brand’s album Presidential Campaign Songs, 1789-1996 (Smithsonian Folkways). Songs relevant to a discussion of Reconstruction include:

• If The Johnnies Get Into Power. Northern suspicion of Southern politics is clear in this James Garfield campaign song.
• For Hayes And Wheeler, Too. Here too, Southern candidates are portrayed as hostile to the values of the Union.

Segregation and discrimination (e.g., “Jim Crow” laws)

Some songs in the GreenBookofSongs.com® category Prejudice may be too graphic or intense for younger grade levels. We suggested the following songs as appropriate for 5th Grade students.

• When Will I Get To Be Called A Man Big Bill Broonzy. This WW II-era song conveys the frustration of being a second-class citizen.
• I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free Nina Simone. Simone’s rendition of this emotionally powerful song is positive and Gospel-oriented.
• Alabama Blues JB Lenoir. This classic blues song describes how murderers of Black victims were set free by the state.
• Jim Crow Blues Leadbelly This is a general but age-appropriate protest of Jim Crow laws.

Sharecropping

• Pick A Bale Of Cotton Leadbelly. This staple of American folk music has a long history. It provides a musical backdrop for discussions of the sharecropping life.

Finally, here are two lesson plans on the Reconstruction period that teachers may find helpful:

• http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/teachers/pdfs/segment7-1.pdf
• http://www.voicesacrosstime.org/come-all-ye/ti/2006/Song%20Activities/0405PekarWhittakerWorkSongs.html

Please share with us any songs you’ve used when teaching about this important period in American history!