Reconstruction Dbq Essay

Lylah Cassidy
Honors US History
Ms. McKinnon
16 March 2023
Reconstruction DBQ
The Civil War ended in 1865 after four long years of American bloodshed. The South lost and slavery would never again be legal in the United States. The states that seceded would eventually be readmitted to the Union under certain conditions and the role of the federal government over the states was proven. This period after the Civil War from 1865 - 1877 is known as Reconstruction. Congress was responsible for rebuilding the nation by reuniting the former Confederate states and dealing with a solution for the more than four million freed slaves. During Reconstruction, the Radical Republican Congress passed a series of Constitutional amendments that were implemented

During this time, the Republican party was able to pass the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution which were added to permit recently freed African American slaves legal protection and civil rights following the war. But, the Democratic win in Congress strongly impacted and setback racial equality and civil rights established for freed Black men in America. Democrat Benjamin Boyers excerpt states, “[the Negro is] a race by nature inferior and mental caliber… the Negroes are not equals of white Americans, and are not entitled…participate in the government of this country.” (Document 1). Benjamin Boyer, the author of this quote, opposed the bill allowing black Americans the right to vote. The segment, “[the Negro is] a race by nature inferior and mental caliber” proves how most democrats held the racist viewpoint toward African Americans and still thought of them as something you could own and substandard to white people, and that they should still be denied the right to vote. The Democratic win showed how Congress failed in ensuring black rights because putting democrats in control allowed them to make it more difficult for black Americans to vote, like implementing literacy tests which were almost impossible to pass, and poll taxes. Document 5 shows headlines and excerpts from news stories from the 1874 New York Times. This states, “DEMOCRATIC VICTORY, Congress to be Democratic” and “THE REPUBLICAN DEFEAT, In the House [of Representatives] the Democrats’ gains continue to increase in numbers.” (Document 5). This quote shows the Republican party's loss in the election which destroyed any progress made toward equality. The Democratic victory was devastating news for all freed slaves. A Democratic victory meant Black Codes being enforced to maintain control over past slaves. These Black Codes insisted on continuous aggression toward the