Reconstruction Era Readers Theater 8-Script Bundle

Embark on the entire arc of America’s post-Civil War struggle in one ready-to-teach bundle. These eight dramatic scripts move learners from Lincoln’s assassination through Radical debates, Klan terror, groundbreaking amendments, Black office-holders, and—finally—the Compromise of 1877 that traded away federal protection. Students voice Frederick Douglass, Hiram Revels, Andrew Johnson, Mary Todd Lincoln, and dozens more while interrogating primary sources such as the 14^th Amendment and the Ku Klux Klan Act. Can a nation rebuild while abandoning its promise of equality?

Perfect For

• Grades 6-8 U.S. History or Civil Rights units
• ELA-integrated fluency & dramatic performance
• Collaborative debates on federal power and justice
• Quick, print-and-go sub plans

What’s Included

• 8 Readers Theater scripts (≈9 pages, 10 scenes, 10–15 characters each, editable Google Doc & PDF) with vivid settings & primary-source quotes
• 8 Teacher Guides (≈10 pages) featuring scene summaries, source context, CCSS alignment, discussion questions
• 8 Student Worksheet decks (25 Google Slides per script) covering vocabulary, comprehension, analysis & extension tasks
• 8 self-grading Google Forms quizzes (20 multiple-choice questions each)

Skills Addressed

• Analyzing primary sources like the 14^th Amendment & Klan Act
• Developing reading fluency through expressive roles
• Collaborative learning & historical empathy via performance
• SAT-level vocabulary: disenfranchisement, ratification, magnanimity
• Critical thinking on civil rights and federal power

Script Snapshot

1. Assassination of Lincoln (1865): Grief and policy upheaval follow the shot heard in Ford’s Theatre.
2. Presidential vs. Radical Reconstruction (1865-1867): Johnson’s vetoes collide with Thaddeus Stevens’ fight for the 14^th Amendment.
3. The Freedmen’s Bureau (1865-1872): Agents build schools while mobs and funding cuts test their mission.
4. 14^th & 15^th Amendments (1866-1870): Citizenship and voting rights pass—then face Black Codes and poll taxes.
5. Black Political Participation (1867-1877): Revels, Bruce, and Elliott legislate under the shadow of hooded terror.
6. The Ku Klux Klan & Resistance (1866-1871): Forrest’s Klan unleashes violence; Grant’s Enforcement Acts strike back.
7. Impeachment of Andrew Johnson (1868): Johnson survives by one vote after a dramatic Senate trial.
8. Compromise of 1877: Hayes settles the disputed election; federal troops withdraw, ushering in Jim Crow.

Standards Alignment

CCSS CCRA.R.1 | CCRA.R.2 | CCRA.W.2 | CCRA.SL.1 | CCRA.L.4
CCSS RH.6-8.1; RH.6-8.2; RH.6-8.6; RH.6-8.7

Try a Free Script First

Not sure if Readers Theater will work in your class? Download our FREE Lincoln Assassination script and test-drive it tomorrow.

Want More Social Studies Activities?

Perfect for sub plans, sick days, supplemental activities, review stations, Friday fun days or even build an entire emergency curriculum with these 4 bundles below:

BUNDLE #1 Colonial America and the Early Republic (1587 – 1811)

1. The Lost Colony of Roanoke (1587)
2. King Philip’s War (1675–1676) [FREE DOWNLOAD!]
3. The First Great Awakening (1730s–1740s)
4. Proclamation of 1763 (1763)
5. The Northwest Ordinance (1787)
6. The Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)
7. The Barbary Wars (1801–1805)
8. Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806)
9. Tecumseh’s Resistance (1809–1811)
10. The Embargo Act of 1807 (1807)

Bundle #2 Westward Expansion (1801 – 1865)

1. The Missouri Compromise (1820) [FREE DOWNLOAD!]
2. The Monroe Doctrine (1823)
3. The Second Great Awakening (1820s–1830s)
4. Oregon Trail Migration (1840s)
5. The Fugitive Slave Act (1850)
6. Bleeding Kansas (1854–1856)
7. John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry (1859)
8. The Pony Express (1860–1861)
9. The Battle of Antietam (1862)
10. The 13th Amendment (1865)

Bundle #3 Revolutionary War (1773 – 1804)

1. The Boston Tea Party (1773–1774) [FREE DOWNLOAD!]
2. United We Stand: The First Continental Congress (1774)
3. Liberty or Death: Patrick Henry's Speech (1775)
4. Midnight Ride and Paul Revere (1775)
5. Green Mountain Boys and Bunker Hill (1775)
6. The Second Continental Congress (1775)
7. Common Sense and the Declaration of Independence (1776)
8. Crossing the Delaware and Trenton Victory (1776)
9. Valley Forge and The American Crisis (1777–1778)
10. Foreign Allies: Lafayette and France (1777–1778)
11. Sybil Ludington and Molly Pitcher (1777)
12. Hamilton and His Duel (1780s–1804)
13. Yorktown and the Treaty of Paris (1781–1783)
14. Washington Steps Down: The Man Who Would Be King (1783)
15. Slavery and the Revolution (1770s–1780s)

• NOTE 1: These 15 scripts do not include Google Docs or Slides but the docx file can easily be uploaded to Google Docs and distributed digitally if desired.
• NOTE 2: These 15 scripts also include a G3-5 reading level of each script for diverse language ability classrooms.

Bundle #4 Reconstruction (1865 – 1877)

1. The Assassination of Lincoln (1865) [FREE DOWNLOAD!]
2. Presidential vs. Radical Reconstruction (1865–1867)
3. The Freedmen’s Bureau (1865–1872)
4. The 14th and 15th Amendments (1868–1870)
5. Black Political Participation (1867–1877)
6. The Ku Klux Klan and Resistance (1866–1871)
7. The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson (1868)
8. The Compromise of 1877 (1877)

SAVE 50% and cover all your Social Studies needs with this Mega Bundle available on TeachersPayTeachers.com:
U.S. History Mega Bundle of 43 Readers Theater Scripts for Grades 6 to 8