Concentrating on the tumultuous years of the Civil War and the difficult Reconstruction period that followed, this book and accompanying CD recount, like no others, the African American experience through contemporaneous documents, diaries, visuals, and texts. These primary sources provide insight into the public and private worlds of those who came before us and shaped the United States of America. The documents make clear the importance of race in the formation of a common American culture. They pay tribute to the strength, endurance, creativity, and contributions of those often ignored in conventional textbooks. Our New Day Begun offers an inclusive American history, revealing the interracial, multicultural heritage that became the foundation of our nation. Our New Day Begun is Sourcebook 4 in the groundbreaking five-volume series Making Freedom: African Americans in U.S. History. Developed by Primary Source Inc., a nonprofit organization promoting historically accurate, culturally inclusive studies, the series offers a wealth of primary source materials compiled by leading scholars, classroom teachers, and curriculum specialists. Each sourcebook in the series contains: context essays written by scholars in African American history lesson plans written largely by teachers for teachers a glossary an accompanying CD, featuring all the primary source materials, plus supplementary materials, a chronology of events, an annotated bibliography, and recordings of music. Innovative and intellectually compelling, these curriculum materials fit into the conventional "scope and sequence." Use a single sourcebook independently or all five to form a powerful vehicle for bringing the history of African American life to middle and high school classrooms. The system requirements for the CD are: Windows/PC Pentium Processor (233Mhz or higher) Windows 95 or higher 64 MB RAM (more recommended) SVGA Color Display (or better) 8x CD-ROM Drive (or faster) Macintosh PowerPC Processor System 8 (or higher) 64MB RAM (more recommended) SVGA Color Display (or better) 8x CD-ROM Drive (or faster) Read Less