Essay On Was Reconstruction A Success Or A Failure

“The war that ensued started at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, on April 12, 1861, and lasted four years”(Confederate.., pg1). The North and South were quite different, so during the Civil war, each side had advantages politically, socially, economically, and demographically. One of the Advantages the North had was Political. The South seceded from the Union because they feared the end to slavery, so when they left the union they had no government. After all of the states seceded, they announced the creation of the Confederate States of America.

A year before 1820, the U.S. annexed East Florida, which used to be a refuge for fugitive slaves. Also, Virginia banned all mulattos and blacks, including the free ones, from assembling for educational purposes and made it illegal for them to be able to be taught how to read and write. In South Carolina, slaves, and even free blacks were required to wear identification tags. In that state, there were penalties for anyone introducing any written anti-slavery documents and later on, Denmark Vesey organized an immense slave uprising. About forty slaves, and Denmark Vasey were executed while the others were sold out of the state.

Slaves were at the bottom of the social order but the individuals above them were not much better. The white people that were poor did not have as many hardships because they always thought at least they were not slaves, even though they were towards the bottom of the social structure. Slavery had a tremendous impact on all aspects of Virginia. It helped keep Virginia afloat and at the same time slowly helped its downfall. It affected the economy, social, and class system.

This act made any official who did not turn in a runaway slave liable to pay a fine; therefore, truly enforcing the law and safeguarding southern property. This also made every Northerner responsible for turning in runaway slaves. In Stephen Douglas’ “Speech Defending the Compromise of 1850” he stated, “Congress, after a protracted session of nearly ten months, succeeded in passing a system of measures, which are believed to be just to all parts of the Republic, and ought to be satisfactory to the People.”7 Douglas believed by making this concession, the south would remain a part of the union. In President Lincoln’s “House Divided” speech, he also gave way to the same sentiment. Lincoln said, “I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and halffree.”8 His statement, foreshadowed that slavery would be the demise of the United

At Fort Monroe, Jefferson Davis was observed twenty-four hours a day, verifying that he didn’t escape federal custody. Meanwhile, the American government contemplated the fate of Jefferson Davis, the leader of the Confederacy. Further, the American government believed Jefferson Davis was involved in the assignation plot of President Lincoln. However, as the trial concluded it was obvious that Jefferson Davis was not connected to the assassination plot, and by May 13, 1867 he was released into civilian custody on a $ 100,000 bail

Abram Colby a former slave who was elected to the Georgia State Legislature during the Reconstruction. According to Abram Colby in document b, October 29, 1869 Klansmen broke his door, took him out of his bed, and whipped him for three hours. Later, they told him that they would never vote for a Radical ticket, and Abram Colby responded saying, “If the vote was tomorrow I would vote a Radical Ticket (Doc B Line 1-5).” Later, the Klansmen offered him $5,000 to with them and then $2,500 in cash if he would let another man go to the legislature in his place. Abram denies the Klansmen the right to vote in his place saying, “I would not do it if they would give me all the county was worth… (Doc B 7-12).” Klansmen trying to restrict a Freedmen of his civil right to vote for president by telling him not to vote for a Radical Republican or let one of them vote in his place is the most significant problem on how the south resistance for the death of Reconstruction because they did not want to allow African American the rights the newly ratified fifteenth amendment and a Radical Republican as president because he supports Freedmen rights and the punishment of former

The era of reconstruction came after the civil war. People still argue that the blacks were fully free or not. African Americans were not free during the civil war. This is one example of how african americans were not fully free during the era of reconstruction . African Americans were not allowed to be in the city limits of Opelousas or they will be charged a fine of five dollars and do two days in jail and then work on public street.

No, I disagree with this proposition that Reconstruction was a missed opportunity. In the history of the United States, "Reconstruction" refers to the policies between 1863 and 1877 when the U.S. focused on ending the slavery, demolishing the Confederacy, and rebuilding the nation and the Constitution. Abraham Lincoln’s whole post war idea was to facilitate and reconciliation but he was assassinated and we left with Andrew Johnson. Although the slavery was banned, segregation created new social injustice, which lasted for another century. Economically speaking, the South was never recovered completely and there were specific problems left unsolved over state rights.

The northern states prohibited slavery between 1770 and 1804, but it was still prominent in the southern states. In 1808, congress made the import of new slaves illegal but by 1860, the slave population was almost 4 million. In 1850, Abraham Lincoln was elected president. Lincoln wanted to abolish slavery, but the war aim of the central Union was to save the United States first. In September 1862, five days after the Union victory in Antietam, Lincoln declared an emancipation proclamation to free the slaves.

Fredrick Douglass was an enslaved African American who escaped slavery and became a leader of the abolition movement. Douglass wrote two novels which would become bestsellers and this would really help in the abolition movement. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the first republican to win an election. During the civil war which took place in 1863, Abraham Lincoln was against slavery in America and he said that after January 1st all slaves that where on rebel territory shall be free people. Then in 1865 slavery had not existed anymore.