"Southern Man" Constructed Response Activity
Southern
man better keep your head
Don't forget what your good book said
Southern change gonna come at last
Now your crosses are burning fast
Southern man
I
saw cotton and I saw black
Tall white mansions and little shacks.
Southern man when will you pay them back?
I heard screamin' and bullwhips cracking
How long? How long?...
Excerpt from song "Southern Man" by Neil Young
I am treated, not as an American citizen,
but as a brute...and for what? Not that I am unable or
unwilling to pay my way; not that I am obnoxious in my personal appearance
or disrespectful in my conduct; but simply because I happen to be of a
darker complexion.
~ John Lynch, Member of Congress and former slave
1. Compare the quote and song. Do they
express similar or contrasting views of life in the South after the Civil War?
Explain.
2. Identify and describe each of the
following;
13th Amendment
14th Amendment
15th Amendment
3. What was the period of rebuilding in the
South after the Civil War called?
4. Identify and
discuss specific ways Southern leaders limited the rights of former slaves and
maintained control over their lives.