The Reconstruction Era

The Brief history
During the post-Civil War and Reconstruction Era, the slave’s fight for their freedom turned into a fight for their survival in the world really quick. In 1857, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court had declared that “when it comes to a black man they had no rights in which a white man was bound to respect." Less than ten years later, after the cruel blood, sweat and suffering that happened in event of the Civil War, the Fourteenth Amendment was then added to the constitution which was revoking the decision and ensuring people’s citizenship, with all of its rights and the responsibilities, to everyone born in the United States regardless of the persons race. Even with the new Amendment in place, many were left trying to determine

The term Reconstruction is used because this was the period in time when the federal government was trying to get restore the seceded states to the Union. The Reconstruction Era was made of unique political conflict and of in-depth changes in the American government. At the national level, new laws and constitutional amendments permanently altered the federal system and the definition of citizenship. Reconstruction Era for African Americans resulted in a lack of sustenance and medical care which in effect caused a high death rate for African Americans, especially for the children. The parts of cities that African Americans where in or an entire cities would be run down and in ruins. Thousands on thousands of people were lacking the means to provide shelter, food, and clothing for themselves yet alone their families. The Federal government knew about the conditions the African Americans were in and did little to nothing assist the needy. Infections even minor ones left former slaves with the burden of unpaid medical bills or the lack of ability to access the proper medical care that they needed. Shortages of these things caused African Americans to resort to the treatment of the diseases with herbal and home remedies that have been pasted down or figured out by themselves by trial and

They say without this right people can or will be easily ignored or the worst part abused by their own government and this is what exactly happened to African American citizens that were left living in the South following Civil War Reconstruction Era. Clearly despite the Fourteenth and the Fifteenth amendments that guaranteed the civil rights of African Americans to their right to vote was thoroughly taken away from them by white racist state governments. If a African American citizen was even attempting to exercise his or her right to vote they would often be threatened with losing their job, threats of being abused and actually being verbally abused from a white’s and the white voting clerks which also helped prevented black Southerners from voting out of fear. For those who were not afraid to lose their job or other things all other things that racist white did to them failed, it lead to maybe mob violence and even lynching among other things ended up keeping blacks people away from the voting ballot boxes. Since they did not have the power of the ballot the African Americans in the South had little to no type of influence in their communities. They did not hold elected offices nor did they have a say in how much their taxes would be or what laws would be passed in the communities. They had little or if any type of control over local public schools, the rules for the police, or what