"After the Civil War, Americans struggled to repair the divided nation. How does a country rebuild the infrastructure, government, and economy of a huge region while taking steps to resolve the status of 4 million newly freed slaves? In Reconstruction: The Rebuilding of the United States After the Civil War, middle schoolers examine the era from 1865 to 1877, a time when the United States wrestled with questions that still plague the country today: Who should have access to citizenship and voting rights? How should the power of the federal government be balanced against the rights of the states? What is the proper government response to white supremacy? Readers use an inquiry-based approach to explore how political, economic, and social problems were handled during Reconstruction. Along the way, they design models for combating similar twenty-first-century problems, using critical and creative thinking skills. Graphic novel-style illustrations, amazing historical photography, and primary sources bring the past to life and illustrate how Reconstruction affected both blacks and whites." --Amazon.com

Judy Dodge Cummings has taught American history for 25 years. She has a BA in Broadfield Social Studies and a MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Teens. She is the author of Immigration Nation: The American Identity in the Twenty-First Century; The Civil War: The Struggle that Divided America; and The Underground Railroad: Navigate the Journey from Slavery to Freedom. Judy lives in Reedsburg, Wisconsin.