Wilbert L. Jenkins
African American
My graduate teaching interests focus on the Civil War and Reconstruction periods, with special emphasis on the African-American experience. The subjects covered in the Studies in African-American History course will vary. Topics currently planned include: The Civil Rights and Black Power Movement; African-American Historiography; and African and African-American Political Thinkers of the Twentieth Century. My current research focuses on the African-American community in Charleston, South Carolina during Reconstruction. Unlike most studies which deal with the Reconstruction period, my work argues that African-Americans were active players, not passive objects. Despite white racism, oppression and discrimination, African-Americans undertook numerous initiatives to improve their condition.