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African-Americans During Reconstruction

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The first African slaves arrived in the new world during the 1620’s and the institution of slavery lasted for 245 years until 1865. Slavery in North America lasted longer than the United States itself. For this reason, when Abraham Lincoln decided to emancipate slaves during the Civil War, then pass the 13th amendment he was putting an end to a social order that was the fabric of American society. The period Reconstruction after the end of the Civil War represented an upward battle for revolution, the “forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new system”, due to the racism and prejudice that was entrenched in American society. However, the spread of education and tools for African Americans to fight oppression, the end …show more content…

The 13th amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime. The amendment provided certainty for the legal status of former slaves and overthrew the three-fifth clause, a constitutional enshrinement of slavery. Soon after the 13th amendment many southern states passed the Black Codes, restricting African Americans’ freedom, and forced them to work in a labor economy based on low wages or debt. The Black Codes spurred northern outrage and helped to undermine support for Andrew Jackson’s policies on reconstruction, giving the power of reconstruction to the radical republicans in congress. By 1868 the 14th amendment was ratified, granting citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former slaves. Furthermore, as Eric Foner explains, the 14th amendment “prohibited the states from abridging the ‘privileges and immunities’ of citizens or denying them the ‘equal protection of the law.’” By writing into the constitution that citizens are equal before the law, regardless of race, the 14th amendment set the ground for the protection of disadvantaged groups from the infringement of equality or their rights by discriminatory action. Radical Republicans were not finished with the 14th amendment, they wanted the

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Prior to the 1860s, before the end of the Civil War, African Americans in the US were generally treated as inferior citizens by the Whites. After the Civil War, however, slavery was abolished everywhere in the US. New laws were established, which were meant to end the slavery and to guarantee freedom to the freed slaves. The Thirteenth Amendment, which was ultimately enacted in 1865, was meant to end slavery in all states in the US. The Fourteenth Amendment, which was enacted in 1868, was meant to ensure that all citizens of the US,

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Slavery has been around since 1619; African people were captured and forced to be servants for the Europeans and then became the primary source of labor. Slavery lasted for about 245 years, President Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, issued the Emancipation Proclamation which proposed to abolish slavery in the United States, the 13th Amendment also gave the same demand. Even though slavery was prohibited, African- Americans were still treated unfairly and had no freedom of expression; the Jim Crow Laws in the south would discourage African- Americans for their culture by not allowing them to express their emotions through their art, music, and stories. The Great Migration was the result of black culture being disrespected; during 1915 through 1960,

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The course begins with the year 1877, which is when Reconstruction “ended”, even though it stilled occurred for years after, but not at as great of capacity. I believe that this is the best place to start this course because there is a different name to the United States after Reconstruction, and to see how much progress was made after the Civil War. Many important events occurred during Reconstruction, such as the creation of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. These amendments legally allowed for African- Americans to have rights in the United States. African American men were now legal United States citizens due to the Fourteenth Amendment, and had “equal protection of the laws” compared to white citizens during this time era, and

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Although slavery was declared over after the passing of the thirteenth amendment, African Americans were not being treated with the respect or equality they deserved. Socially, politically and economically, African American people were not being given equal opportunities as white people. They had certain laws directed at them, which held them back from being equal to their white peers. They also had certain requirements, making it difficult for many African Americans to participate in the opportunity to vote for government leaders. Although they were freed from slavery, there was still a long way to go for equality through America’s reconstruction plan.

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Despite the fact that the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments started a transformation ending slavery, the Fourteenth Amendment was proposed to give residency to the African-American former slaves but not to Indians. The Fourteenth Amendment specifically declared that anybody born in the United States is a citizen, that all citizens regardless of race are to enjoy the same basic rights, and that no state can deprive a citizen of those rights; and it empowers the federal government to override and oversee the actions of the states that might interfere with the privileges and immunities of American

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I honestly can not see or fathom why you could ever think that the Reconstruction Era was a success in helping blacks. I agree with you that it helped America unite to a certain extent, however, it did nothing to help the blacks whatsoever. Yes, slaves were emancipated and there were three amendments to help them to achieve rights and citizenship , nevertheless, the government rarely enforced any of the laws and regulations they set in place for the blacks to have equality and people worked tirelessly to make sure that any sense of freedom and rights that blacks could have were snatched away from them. What is the point of passing a law saying that black man can vote when they have KKK members trespassing in their house, beating them and ultimately

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Peter Schroeder Dr. Christopher Marshall Modern United States History 2/2/17 Writing Assignment 1: The African-American Experience with Reconstruction Reconstruction among the south refers to the point in time which the United States was attempting to establish a relationship between the union and the rebels. The Union had won the civil war, so the next step was to begin to mend the broken relationship between the north and the south. Though historians cannot agree on when it began, there is merit in saying that it started before the end of the Civil War. After victory, had been solidified for the Union, attention of President Lincoln turned towards reconstruction.

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After the Civil War, African Americans were free from slavery. The Reconstruction era that followed the war helped to piece the fragmented America back together into one unified country. While this period assisted in the bonding of the North and South, the newly freed slaves did not receive enough protection or help from the government to get them on their feet after essentially starting a new life with literally nothing to their name. Due to the negligence of the U.S. government, the white supremacist south created a series of loopholes known as Jim Crow Laws that severely limited the rights that had been given to African Americans. This racial segregation and discrimination of African Americans continued for decades until they began

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The thirteenth amendment stated that all former slaves were granted freedom. The reconstruction period, “did create the essential constitutional foundation for further advances in the quest for equality”. It laid the building blocks for the future building for civil rights not just for blacks but women and other minorities. Former slaves, “ found comfort in their family and in the churches they established”. Blacks took community in each other and bonded over the mutual idea of freedom .

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As noted in Document 1, the 14th Amendment explicitly affirmed: “…All persons born or naturalized in the United State, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws…” The 14th Amendment ------------ (lead into the 15th amendment) 15th Amendment: The Fifteenth Amendment granted all male citizens, regardless of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude” the right to vote.

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The Reconstruction of the United States After the war, there were many things going on in the Unites States. The south had lost the value of their land and the cotton, their main source of money. The taxes went up due to new public schools and the need to rebuild cities that were destroyed in the south. During this time the civil rights amendments were passed as well. However, some people still wanted control over the former slaves.

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One of reasons the confederacy failed was because the U.S. Congress, with Lincoln’s support, proposed the 13th amendment which would abolish slavery in America. Although the confederate peace delegation was unwilling to accept a future without slavery, the radical and moderate Republicans designed a way to takeover the reconstruction program. The Radical Republicans wanted full citizenship rights for African Americans and wanted to implement harsh reconstruction policies toward the south. The radical republican views made up the majority of the Congress and helped to pass the 14th amendment which guaranteed equality under the law for all citizens, and protected freedmen from presidential vetoes, southern state legislatures, and federal court decisions. In 1869, Congress passed the fifteenth amendment stating that no citizen can be denied the right to vote because of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

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Post Civil War, African Americans started to gain rights to gain rights, and soon gain rights equal to whites. While there were some people/things standing in their way (KKK, Black Codes), in the end they got what they needed; Equality. Many acts and laws were passed to aid the new rights now held by African Americans, as well as the numerous people willing to help. New Amendments were added to give African Americans rights after the war, all giving them some equal rights to whites. The first of the three added was the Thirteenth Amendment, it gave African Americans freedom from slave owners, and stated that no one could be kept as a slave in the U.S..

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1437 Words | 6 Pages

Slavery was practiced in America from the 17th century through the 19th century; Africans were brought over through the middle passage and were sold as chattel to southern plantation owners. Despite the South’s immense support of the institution of Slavery, Northern states opposed it and their opposing views resulted in the South’s secession from the United States and the beginning of the American civil war. From 1861 to 1865, the Union and the Confederacy fought over the south’s secession and the institution of slavery and in 1865, the Union won the war against the Confederacy and they passed the 13th amendment which officially outlawed the institution of slavery in the United States. In 1868 the 14th amendment made all slaves U.S. citizens. Even though the Union’s victory gave millions of Blacks their freedom, Blacks faced challenges and injustices; the legacy of slavery and anti-black sentiments continued to influence American society and its poor treatment of Blacks.

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Reconstruction era, which was followed by post-civil war, was meant to unite the states back together, reconstruct properties, and most importantly, abolish slavery in the South. Although the factors such as amendments legally freed former slaves, yet WRITE THESIS After the end of civil war in 1865, Reconstruction era, which was controlled by President Abraham Lincoln, appeared to quickly coalesce the Northern and Southern states. reconstruction amendments, which were approved between 1865 and 1870, played a huge role on giving legal rights to blacks and former slaves. 13th amendment constitutionally abolished slavery in 1865 and followed up by that, 14th and 15th amendment admitted equal citizenship, protection, and rights of suffrage despite the one’s race or skin color. Former slaves were no longer belongings of their owners.

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