Upcoming Networks of Hope: Exploring Resilience and Community in Civil War–Era Black History with the Tenement Museum

Gain a fresh perspective on the experiences of Black New Yorkers in the lead up to the Civil War and the early promise of Reconstruction in this full day workshop for NYC Public School educators, co presented by the Tenement Museum and the NYCPS Department of Social Studies and Civics.

Explore primary sources that reveal the resilience and leadership of Black New Yorkers—from community organizing and the rise of the Black press to the hard won promise of the 15th Amendment. Educators will explore classroom ready resources, learn how to integrate DOE materials such as Comics, Hidden Voices, and the Scope and Sequence, and leave with new tools for using individual stories to illuminate complex histories.

The day includes a guided tour of the Museum’s exhibit A Union of Hope: 1869, stepping into the home of Joseph and Rachel Moore, free Black New Yorkers living in what was then the largest free Black community in the North. Participants will uncover how the Moores and their neighbors built networks of support during a period marked by the dramatic political change of the Reconstruction Amendments, which abolished slavery, established birthright citizenship, and granted Black men the right to vote. In the afternoon, Museum scholar Marquis Taylor will share new research and lead a session on engaging students through storytelling, primary sources, and place based learning.