Through seminars led by top scholars, study trips to locations in the SC Lowcountry, and directed archival research, educators will learn more about one of the most neglected and misunderstood periods in US history, the post-Civil War era of Reconstruction, and how that history began in and was influenced by people and events in the Sea Islands. We will closely examine three broad themes over the course of the institute, including: (1) the Old South and wartime “prelude” to Reconstruction, (2) the political, social, and economic facets of the Reconstruction era and its aftermath, and (3) American historical memory, the “Second Reconstruction” (modern Civil Rights Movement) and the place of Reconstruction memory in modern America. Each theme will offer unique insight into the most significant issues, events, personalities, and watershed moments of the postwar era.