Gaby Striano
Social Studies
807
10 October, 2017 Reconstruction The Civil War was the bloodiest war America has ever faced. The southern states were destroyed, and the Confederacy couldn’t help them. The serious damage and divided country caused a period called Reconstruction. Reconstruction was a period of eleven years after the Civil War, used to rebuild and reunite the U.S. This was the goal, however it wasn’t successful. Reconstruction wasn’t successful because African-Americans still had the same rights they had during slavery, Confederate leaders rose back to power, and the Ku Klux Klan was created. One of the reasons Reconstruction wasn’t successful was because former slaves rights barely changed. The 14th amendment states that
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When Confederate leaders rose back to power, this encouraged white southerners to become more open about their white supremacy, which created the KKK. The Ku Klux Klan mainly targeted blacks and the republicans who supported them. According to class notes on the KKK, they raided Freedman schools, invaded towns, tortured and murdered black families. African-Americans have tried to take a stand against this, but with involvement by the authorities and government make it challenging. “We find their deeds are perpetrated only upon colored men and white republicans...Our race have become the special object of hatred and persecution...Our people are driven from their homes in great numbers, having no redress only the United States court, which is in many cases unable to reach them” (Petition to the United States Congress, 25 March 1871). The government has tried to deal with the group and created the KKK act which allowed them to retaliate. However, in 1882, the act was ruled unconstitutional. Therefore, Reconstruction failed to prevent terrorism and eliminate it once it