A New (or Old) Society, but Always Broken

After the abolition of slavery in the United States, efforts to integrate communities, especially in states where slave-holding had been legal, began to spread. Civil rights were center stage for people trying to build their lives in free society, and one of the National Park Sites that teach about this time period is the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park in Beaufort, South Carolina.

Darah Hall is one of the featured buildings in the park, a school building in what is known as the Penn Center. Efforts to establish schools and other community centers for newly freed people were often taken on by missionaries from northern states.

Reconstruction efforts in Beaufort and across the country did not solve the problems of inequality, slave-holding, or economic and social divides. Across the United States, differences were often left to fester. This park allows visitors to consider the beneficial outcomes of Reconstruction efforts, as well as the ongoing problems faced in society.