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Civil War Reconstruction Research Paper

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Reconstruction officially began in 1865. The Civil War is believed to have come to an end in April 1865; however, it was not until the 20th of August, 1866 that President Andrew Johnson officially declared the end of the Civil War. Most people express the era as a period of putting back the broken pieces. The country was attempting to return to its footing after the Civil War. Reconstruction was not an easy task since the southerners were burning with resentment and trying to return to power within the government (Randall & Donald, 2016). The end of the war came with the freedom of almost four million slaves, who mingled freely within the population. President Abraham Lincoln developed the reconstruction plan. He proposed a lenient policy that …show more content…

The emancipation of the slaves was accepted by most of the northerners, and President Lincoln went to the extent of forcing the Southerners to accept the liberation of the slaves. However, President Lincoln was not lucky to see his plan materialize, but his successor followed through with the plan. President Johnson gave the southern states government free reign to rebuild themselves as long as they pledged loyalty to the Union and respected the emancipation of the former slaves. The radical Reconstructionist fought for the liberated slaves so that they could have a chance of building a living of their own and not depending on their white slave masters or colonist (Egerton, 2014). The Civil Rights Bill was passed by Congress in 1866, which guaranteed the African Americans equal protection under the law as well as renewing the Freedmen’s Bureau. By the time the freemen’s Bureau was established, most of the African Americans were former slaves, who had no land, food, or a place to go. Therefore, most of the free slaves were still under control of their …show more content…

The African Americans representative put it clear that they understand that the freedom proclamation, as promised by President Lincoln, was taking them from the under the yoke of bondage, enabling them to reap the fruit of their labor, take care of themselves, and assist the government in maintaining the freedom by enlisting as soldiers. The Reconstruction Era can be regarded as an extended period of the Civil War since there was cold war amongst the free slaves and the southerners. If the original purpose of the Civil War, which was to reunite the rebellious states, could have been maintained, then the Reconstruction would not be a total failure. Therefore, it would be advisable for the reunion of the United States to be the focal point, which, as a result, would bring the end of slavery, just as it happened in Spain and

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