The Woodrow Wilson House in Columbia is the only museum in the nation dedicated to telling the story of Reconstruction.
Reconstruction - the period after the end of the Civil War - remains one of the most misunderstood times in US and Southern history. Starting in 1865 and continuing for about 12 years, the country wrestled with questions of reconciliation, benefits of citizenship, the role of the federal government, and how to rebuild an economic and social system with about 4 million newly freed slaves.
Central to the story is the experience of African-Americans, who were considered citizens after the war for the first time in the South's history. Some sites in South Carolina offer a glimpse into the days of Reconstruction, including a historic house museum in downtown Columbia that is the only museum in the country devoted to Reconstruction.
Located at 1705 Hampton Street, in historic downtown Columbia, South Carolina, this is the home where President Woodrow Wilson spent four years of his childhood. The house was built in 1871, during the height of the Reconstruction era; a tumultuous period in United States and South Carolina history. Today, the house is a museum, devoted to showing Columbia's struggle to rebuild itself after the Civil War, and the Wilson family's time spent in the home.
The home includes panel exhibits, interactive technologies and guided tours that show visitors about a time when African-Americans in the South first were able to participate in government, start churches and go to school. Exhibits include the social and political implications of domestic service, family life and activities by both middle class whites and blacks, and the role of religion in black and white communities
Historic Columbia is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Columbia and Richland County's historic and cultural heritage.
Standards
- 1-1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of how families interact with their environment both locally and globally.
- 2-1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the local community as well as the fact that geography influences not only the development of communities but also the interactions between people and the environment.
- 2-2 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the structure and function of local, state, and national government.
- 3-4 The student will demonstrate an understanding of life in the antebellum period, the causes and effects of the Civil War, and the impact of Reconstruction in South Carolina.
- 4-6 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the causes, the course, and the effects of the American Civil War.
- 5-1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of Reconstruction and its impact on the United States.
- Reconstruction was a period of great hope, incredible change, and efforts at rebuilding. To understand Reconstruction and race relations in the United States, the student will utilize the knowledge and skills set forth in the following indicators:
- 5-1.1 Summarize the aims and course of Reconstruction, including the effects of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Southern resistance to the rights of freedmen, and the agenda of the Radical Republicans.
- 5-1.2 Explain the effects of Reconstruction, including new rights under the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments; the actions of the Freedmen’s Bureau; and the move from a plantation system to sharecropping.
- 5-1.3 Explain the purpose and motivations of subversive groups during Reconstruction and their rise to power after the withdrawal of federal troops from the South.
- 5-1.4 Compare the political, economic, and social effects of Reconstruction on different populations in the South and in other regions of the United States.
- Reconstruction was a period of great hope, incredible change, and efforts at rebuilding. To understand Reconstruction and race relations in the United States, the student will utilize the knowledge and skills set forth in the following indicators:
- 8-5 The student will understand the impact of Reconstruction, industrialization, and Progressivism on society and politics in South Carolina in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
- During the periods of Reconstruction, industrial expansion, and the Progressive movement, South Carolina searched for ways to revitalize its economy while maintaining its traditional society. To understand South Carolina’s experience as represen...
- 8-5.1 Analyze the development of Reconstruction policy and its impact in South Carolina, including the presidential and the congressional reconstruction plans, the role of black codes, and the Freedmen’s Bureau.
- 8-5.2 Describe the economic impact of Reconstruction on South Carolinians in each of the various social classes.
- 8-5.3 Summarize the successes and failures of Reconstruction in South Carolina, including the creation of political, educational, and social opportunities for African Americans; the rise of discriminatory groups; and the withdrawal of federal protection.
- 8-5.4 Summarize the policies and actions of South Carolina’s political leadership in implementing discriminatory laws that established a system of racial segregation, intimidation, and violence.
- 8-5.8 Compare the Progressive movement in South Carolina with the national Progressive movement, including the impact on temperance; women’s suffrage; labor laws; and educational, agricultural, health, and governmental reform.
- During the periods of Reconstruction, industrial expansion, and the Progressive movement, South Carolina searched for ways to revitalize its economy while maintaining its traditional society. To understand South Carolina’s experience as represen...
- K-1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of his or her surroundings.
- Maps and other geographic representations can communicate information about the location and features of one’s surroundings. To access and utilize geographic information efficiently, effectively, and accurately, the student will utilize the know...
- K-1.1 Identify the location of his or her home, school, neighborhood, and city or town on a map.
- K-1.2 Illustrate the features of his or her home, school, and neighborhood by creating maps, models, and drawings.
- K-1.3 Identify his or her personal connections to places, including home, school, neighborhood, and city or town.
- Maps and other geographic representations can communicate information about the location and features of one’s surroundings. To access and utilize geographic information efficiently, effectively, and accurately, the student will utilize the know...
- USHC-3 The student will demonstrate an understanding of how regional and ideological differences led to the Civil War and an understanding of the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction on democracy in America.
- USHC-4 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the industrial development and the consequences of that development on society and politics during the second half of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries.
- USHC-5 The student will demonstrate an understanding of domestic and foreign developments that contributed to the emergence of the United States as a world power in the twentieth century.
