1. What roles did Africa American play in southern politics during Reconstruction? Considering how much they gained politically during that era, how might one explain how much they subsequently lost? Why were southern blacks unable to translate the political gains of Reconstruction into the permanent establishment of their civil rights?
2. Violence against black Americans intensified at the same time that the United States began to expand its power overseas by military force. Compare the imperialist movement with the violence against black Americans. Was there a connection between the two trends? Were they two sides of the same coin? If so, why did black soldiers assist in the expansion of the American empire, and why did some prominent blacks support American imperialism?