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Reconstruction Dbq

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The Reconstruction era, which followed the American Civil War, was a time of significant social, political, and economic change in the United States. After years of slavery and armed conflict, the country was faced with the challenge of rebuilding and reconciling a deeply divided society. The period saw remarkable progress in integrating freed slaves into society and politics, with the ratification of constitutional amendments, granting citizenship and voting rights to African Americans. However, despite these achievements, the Reconstruction era ultimately failed to create racial equality and healing divisions caused by the Civil War due to ongoing racism, political opposition, and economic struggles in the South. This DBQ will explore the reasons behind the failure of the Reconstruction era and the impact on this failure. During the Reconstruction era, ongoing systemic racism persisted in American society despite efforts to create a more equal and just society where …show more content…

Some politicians, like a senator from Kentucky, turned a blind eye to the oppression that freedmen faced constantly in their homes as well as at the polls. This lack of support from the government was a downfall in the Reconstruction movement. White southerners found ways to prevent African Americans from voting by using tactics like harassment, bullying, and intimidation to scare them away from the polls.Laws like the grandfather clause and literacy tests were created to prevent many people of color from be able to vote, ensuring the Democratic Party (southerners) could regain control of politics. These actions show that people didn’t respect African Americans as citizens even under the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. As a result of this, political opposition was a significant factor in the failure of Reconstruction being able to create a truly equal and just society for

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