Freedom After The Civil War Essay

Maceo Cardinale Kwik Reconstruction Reconstruction was the twelve years after the civil war. Those twelve years were full of readjustment fixing the ruin the United States had fallen into. The problems that had the United states in disarray were how to, rebuild the South, reunite the states, and ensure the rights and protection of the newly freed African Americans. The civil war left the South in shambles, and newly freed slaves struggled to adjust to their new freedom. Most Southerners hated reconstruction and everything else about the North.

However, in the 18th and 19th centuries there was a great deal of arguing and talk about freeing slaves between the Northern and Southern states, which the North really did not have a problem with freeing the slaves since they were leaning more toward the liberating lifestyle for all American people. The South was in between abolishing slavery. There were stereotyping going around the states about slaves.

A few days after the civil War ended, President Lincoln was assassinated and never had the chance to implement his Reconstruction plan.   The Reconstruction Era occurred in the period of 1865 to 1877 under the reign of President Andrew Johnson who was the predecessor of President Lincoln.  Congress was not scheduled to convene until December 1865, which gave Johnson eight months to pursue his own Reconstruction policies. Under his Reconstruction policies, the former Confederate states were required to join back into the Union and heal the wounds of the nation.

Before the civil war African Americans were enslaved forced to work on plantations. They were treated harshly, and faced many different hardships. This would change after the civil war, because they were granted their freedom. They were no longer forced to work on plantations, but that does not mean they were treated any better. After the civil war African Americans were still treated poorly and faced persecution for many years.

The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 was a reinforcement of a previous act of the same name passed by Congress in 1793 to provide for the return of slaves who had attempted to escape from their owners to freedom. The new act made any federal marshal or other official who did not arrest an alleged runaway slave liable to a fine of $1,000. In addition, any person aiding a runaway slave by providing food or shelter was subject to six months' imprisonment and a $1,000 fine.

“More African Americans are under the control of the criminal justice system today – in prison or jail, on probation or parole – than were enslaved in 1850.” For this reason I decided to write my essay reflecting the documentary of Slavery By Another Name. Even though the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, it had an exception. Slavery was still legal as a form of punishment for a crime. With the abolishment of slavery many jobs were left unfilled.

I can not stand having freed slaves roaming around the streets like if they’re apart of the community too. Once you become a slave you will always be a slave. I rather use black codes against the black people and try to take away some of their rights instead of trying to kill them like the KKK are. Many southern states as well as my home state South Carolina are forcing black codes to keep white supremacy in place. I remember a few weeks ago I was walking to the court to be apart the jury.

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.

The amount of freedom that America gives to us goes mostly unnoticed in this country. Citizens of the United States have freedom of speech, the right to bare arms, freedom of religion, technology, a good education system, and democratic government. In our country's constitution, we are allowed to say what we think about the government without having any punishments. Since we have this right our government is able to hear the public’s opinion and do what is most beneficial for the people. In addition, the government allows us to protect ourselves properly by having the right to bare arms.

The idea of America is freedom over life, liberty, and equality for the pursuit of happiness. According to the Merriam Webster’s Dictionary; freedom means the quality or state of being free. Liberty means the state or condition of people who are able to act and speak freely. Equality means the quality or state of being equal; the quality or state of having the same rights or social status. The following paragraphs will show support for these ideas, starting with freedom.

Reconstruction transformed African Americans lives and improved their lives while it was happening. The thirteenth amendment made it so that all African Americans were freed, but they didn’t always benefit from that. However, most southern states passed “Black Codes” that restricted the rights of African Americans. Though African Americans were granted rights, under the fourteenth amendment their rights were often violated. During Reconstruction, African Americans were better off than they had been before and better off than they would be in the years following Reconstruction.