Violence and Hatred - Fourth Module of Reconstruction 360
Reconstruction 360 features 360-degree interactive video and short documentaries, and includes lesson plans, primary documents, curriculum standards and a geolocative walking tour of Reconstruction sites in downtown Columbia, S.C.
Description:
In May 1866, a terrible event known as the Memphis Massacre occurs, where at least 46 Black Memphians were murdered by members of a white mob. Terror is raging outside the home of a Black family in Memphis. The father has been wounded and the family is preparing to flee. Many southern whites viewed the changes brought about by Reconstruction as a threat to the status-quo, and refused to accept or adhere to progress.
Aspects of the theme explored in this module through clickable objects and characters include the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant, the growing Irish population in Memphis, the increase in violence and necessary intervention by the U.S. Army, and the consequences of the Memphis Massacre.
Visit the Reconstruction 360 website here.
The first photo pictured above shows Patrick Hayes setting up the 360 camera on the set.
The vignette for the Violence and Hatred module, which depicts a family struggling to flee the Memphis Massacre, was shot in a house in downtown Columbia in the summer of 2022. The home was built in the 1880s and is owned by Richard Durlach and Breedlove. Set design and decoration is by Paul Moore. One interesting little factoid is that the sweet potatoes featured in the “Freedpeople in Memphis” video are actually made of clay by the set designer, who is a ceramist.