Failure Of Reconstruction Essay

After slavery, African Americans in the south were in a time of change. Though they were free from slavery, whippings, and auctions, I believe life became difficult for them even after slavery ended. Racism began to grow increasingly, as many could not accept the fact that there was no more slavery. It became stricter when the government in the South enforced laws called Black Codes. Those laws were set to grant only certain rights to people of color. Employment for black people was unfair, as they were often paid much less than their white companions. The fourteenth amendment was created in 1868 and promised African Americans the rights of equal American citizenship. Many of the African Americans were homeless and separated from their family for years, sometimes never being able to see them again.

The Reconstruction failed badly for many different reasons. Racism is one of the major key roles that caused the reconstruction to fail. No one could seem to see that blacks where equal since they believed that the blacks where less than them. Slavery also played a key role into the failure of reconstruction. Before the war slaves where considered three fifths of one. Once the black slaves were given their freedom they would then be considered as on instead of three fifths of one.

Another reason Reconstruction was a failure was because of black codes. Black codes made rules that were similar to slavery laws. These rules limited African American’s freedom. It requires them to sign a work contract, which they could be arrested if they do not own one. This also restricted owning land and guns. African Americans have been released out of slavery and then, with these rules, made it seem as if they were in slavery all over again.

During the late 1800s, because the South had been decimated by the end of the Civil War, .the Reconstruction Period was initiated to aid the South’s recovery. Although the Civil War did abolish slavery and unify the North and the South, the war not resolve racial prejudice, the South’s damage, and the African Americans’ economic instability. The Reconstruction Period was initiated in order to prevent economic instability and the structural ruin, because since slavery was abolished, and the South was completely dependent on slaves, therefore slaves could not work for the South to maintain the economy, and slaves also could not fix up the damages done to the structures done to the South during the war. By starting the Freedmen’s Bureau and passing

Historian Eric Foner, describes Reconstruction in the US, as a “splendid failure”. Reconstruction, was the period after the Civil War, in which the government tried to “fix” the country from all the harm caused. There are some good things to have come out of it, like the African-Americans representation in the government, or the ability to establish Schools, and Churches. But with the positives, there were negatives, in a large way, whether it be the start of terrorist groups like the Klu-Klux Klan, or economic hardships like the Panic of 1873. Overall, I feel that the negatives outweighed the positives, but there are still important positives to come out of it.

While the issue of slavery evidently contributed to the divide that resulted in the American Civil War, it is debated whether prevailing ideals of racism caused the failure of the era following the war known as Reconstruction. With the abolishment of slavery, many of the southern states had to reassemble the social, economic, and political systems instilled in their societies. The Reconstruction Era was originally led by a radical republican government that pushed to raise taxes, establish coalition governments, and deprive former confederates of superiority they might have once held. However, during this time common views were obtained that the South could recover independently and that African Americans

Reconstruction caused prejudice and inequality. To elaborate, the creation of the Ku Klux Klan and the Black Codes were both in the time period of reconstruction, which caused chaos and violence throughout the Union. One of the goals of reconstruction was to repair the economy in the South, because it depended on slavery, which was now illegal, due to the thirteenth amendment. The South’s economic system now depended on Sharecropping, which caused former slaves to be in constant debt and was unjust to the black society. The reconstruction time period, was a time of dispute between the Union. Disputes were caused by disagreements between the North’s and the South’s way of life. The Reconstruction’s purpose was supposed to be a time period of forgiveness for the Union. Consequently, it led to many disagreements between the North and South. Overall, reconstruction was a time period of challenges, which led to failures, rather than a period of

slaves wherever they were, this new change brought great difficulty to the Southern black population. The Purpose of the Reconstruction Era was to create a society where blacks and whites could co-exist with slavery. Blacks did not know how to be free and whites did not know how to have freed slaves around them. The south saw the Reconstruction Plan as a humiliating, even vengeful imposition and did not welcome it. After the war, many teachers from the south and north worked to educate the newly emancipated population. Grandfathers and grandchildren sat together in classrooms seeking to obtain the tools of freedom. With the protection of The Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1866 African Americans enjoyed many freedoms. They could vote, actively participate in the political process, acquire the land of former owners, seek their own employment, and use public accommodations. Eventually the opponents of all these freedoms would rally together and find ways to erode this progress. Such hate gave birth to the Ku Klux Klan a hate group whose goal was to destroy Reconstruction by murdering blacks, and any whites in the Republican politics or helped educate. The Klan burned churches, schools and drove thousands from their homes. The lack of police involvement made Congress passed the Force Bill in 1871, giving the federal government the power to prosecute the Klan. Dedicated officials could convict Klan Members and break up the Klan’s

The reconstruction period was a failure because African Americans, mainly males, were not treated with equality although the constitution said that the they were free and had the right to vote, be educated and had the right to liberty, life and the pursuit to happiness. Organizations, like the KKK, were created to harm freed slaves and their families. Laws were created such as the Black Codes restricting former slaves from their rights. African Americans endured a lot of violence over the years. “In Grayson, Texas, a white man and two friends murdered three former slaves because the wanted to ‘ thin the niggers out and drive them to their hole’”. They were treasted violently and like animals. They were building white supremacy. The men

Reconstruction was an attempt reconcile the country and bring it back together, however it was not the success Abraham had hoped it to be when initiated before being assassinated. The failure had many effects on African American communities in both the north on the south both negative and positive. Socially black slaves were freed but not really accepted into society. Black codes were utilized which placed pressure on African Americans about things like when to meet with friends and where they should live. Discrimination against black flourished as the Ku Klux Klan a group of people who wore robes and mask went around pretending to be the ghost of Confederate soldiers. They were had no desire for blacks to have rights and felt that they should be slaves. By attacking, burning their homes and killing blacks in the north and

Following the ending of the Civil War in 1865, America was in an era known as the Reconstruction. The Reconstruction lasted until 1877. Citizens were attempting to rebuild our nation following one of the deadliest war in American History. In this time, the Fourteenth Amendment and Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution were ratified. Although slaves were freed, African Americans still faced intense racial prejudice and discrimination. This led to continued to tensions between not only the north and south but also the blacks and the whites in America. According to The Unfinished Nation, the per capita income of African Americans increase from about one-quarter to about one-half of the per capita income of White citizens (365). Sadly certain

After the Civil War, a period that spanded from 1863 to 1877, known as the Reconstruction period began. This time in history focused on transforming the South and changing African American lives. Although progress was made during this time, set backs from white supremacy groups like the KluKlux Klan also known as the KKK, people with pre-civil war or racist mindsets, and goverment coruption,the full effect of the Reconstruction would not be truely experienced or seen for about the next century.

Reconstruction was intended to unify the states once more and allowing for the United States to stabilize its economy in a post war era. The Union may have felt minimal impact under its industrial institution, but the south was in shambles and its agricultural institution that was its pre-war economy was not nonexistent under Reconstruction. In the south the lives of planters, non-slave holding whites, and even former slaves was directly affected by reconstruction. The farmers no longer had guaranteed labor to work their fields, which meant a decline in agriculture production and the export of raw materials. Freed slaves who remained in the south did not have a means to support their family due to the lack of support and work for freed slaves and if any support was coming it was slowed down by the divide of the Union on Reconstruction. A new system of Sharecropping emerged as the new institution replacing slavery, but acceptance was slow at best. With the lack of income for most southerners who relied on the institution of slavery had to turn to credit with merchants and moved away from financial independence. In addition to economic instability, the creation of violent groups such as the Ku Klux Klan emerged and attacked anyone, white or African American, who

Although former slaves had been freed, they were still facing many struggles in free life. America’s plan for reconstruction had good intent, but did not give African Americans the equality they deserved. From segregation and voting laws to sharecropping, reconstruction did not turn out to be the success it had the potential to be. Many years later, we are

Although the slavery was abolished in 1865, the rights given to African Americans were not nearly equal to those of white Americans. After slavery was abolished, inequality in American society ran high, and many laws were put in place to restrict the rights and abilities of African Americans. Some laws include the Jim Crow Laws (1870 to 1950s) and the Supreme Court Ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) that ruled that there could be “separate but equal” facilities and services for people of color and white Americans. These policies and laws were unfair and discriminatory towards people of color and change was desperately needed. The Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 to 1965 pushed the Civil