The Civil War and the period of Reconstruction brought significant political, social, and economic changes to American society, and these effects continued into the 20th century. Post Civil War (After the Civil War – The period after the Civil War) - President Abraham Lincoln and Congress were determined to rebuild the nation. Lincoln wanted to restore the Union by readmitting the southern states that had seceded, as well as provide African Americans with more rights. Period of Conflict -
Eric Foner states that “some 2,000 African-Americans occupied public offices during Reconstruction represented a fundamental shift of power in the South and a radical departure in American government”(575).The offices and positions they held were in every level of government, including, the House of Representatives, Senators, a Governor, and many held positions in local offices. The change from African American being treated as a possession of white men to being in control of some part of the government was a major change in the United States
R – Radical Republicans led the Reconstruction of the South E – Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves C – Carpetbaggers attempted to gain political office or economic advantage O – Opposition to blacks voting N – No universal public education in the South S – Sharecroppers allowed to use land for a share of their crop T – Ten percent plan offered by President Lincoln R – Rights granted to African Americans through the “Reconstruction Amendments” U – Union was reunited after a victory in the Civil War C – Confederacy was broken apart after a defeat in the Civil War T – Topic of the 14th Amendment was equal protection under the law for everyone I – “Ironclad Oath” required officials to swear they had never “borne arms” against U.S. O – Organizing
African Americans weren’t actually free during Reconstruction because they were initially not accorded the full rights of citizenship under the constitution, they were forced into submission by violence and intimidation, and were abridged the rights they had later gained by Black Codes. Despite the fact that African Americans were liberated from slavery, during the early years of Reconstruction, they were not equal citizens under the law. Even though blacks had fought loyally for the union, they were initially denied the right to vote (Doc a). The President of the United States, President Johnson, regarded black suffrage as something to radical that would “change the entire structure and character of the State governments,” (Doc b).
After the Civil War in the United States, the country had united once again. However, the two sides had not grown accustomed to each other, and tensions could have risen if not for the attempts to move on from the recent divide. Ultimately, the Reconstruction movement may not have purged the United States of discrimination and segregation, but it helped to ease tensions among sides, and paved the way for the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century. Even though the intent of Reconstruction indicated that former opposition would forget the past and accept the future, the plan had complications that prevented it from reaching its truest form. For example, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln prevented his vision from carrying out as intended,
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois once said, “the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color-line.” He refers “color” as race and how race is a social category used to assign human worth and social status using whites as the superior race and the minorities as the inferior. That’s what America is facing during Reconstruction. When the Reconstruction Era transitioned into the New South Era, the lives of Freedmen changed socially, economically, and politically for the worse. Although southern whites were still unpleasant to African Americans during Reconstruction, it got more severe socially in the New South Era.
1. The information tells me that American culture took a turn for the better but then went right back to where they started. The culture was continuing to change for the freedom of African Americans by the Radical Reconstruction. But, what others didn’t realize is people’s point of view sometimes didn’t change with the time causing African Americans to be beaten and even murdered. 2.
During the time period of 1860 through 1877, there were horrid events that occurred. The North and the South states had an ongoing feud. They were feuding over the problems of slavery, and whether or not it should be a continued tradition. In 1861 through 1865 a massive event took place, the Civil War, where Abraham Lincoln was the face and figure of that time. This was without a doubt Americans fighting against fellow Americans.
Reconstruction: African American Unhomeliness Rather than deal with an unwelcoming North who had done nearly everything in their power to keep the population of newly freed slaves to a minimum: African American chose, and if not were forced to stay in the Jim Crow south or be sent to prison, sold at auction, or put to death. The false sense of freedom given to the newly emancipated blacks, provided no aid if laws were looked at as subjective and any success given to support their causes, returned with further hate, and violence. As a result the paradox of the time made the failures of reconstruction a result of any success granted during that period. The Emancipation Proclamation signed January 1, 1863 by Abraham Lincoln, declared, that
Sources Analysis Freedom During the Reconstruction era, the idea of freedom could have many different meanings. Everyday factors that we don't often think about today such as the color of our skin, where we were born, and whether or not we own land determined what limitations were placed on the ability to live our life to the fullest. To dig deeper into what freedom meant for different individuals during this time period, I analyzed three primary sources written by those who experienced this first hand. These included “Excerpts from The Black Codes of Mississippi” (1865), “Jourdan Anderson to his old master” (1865), and “Testimony on the Ku Klux Klan in Congressional Hearing” (1872).
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.
24 November 2015 The Real Death of Reconstruction There is no easy way to decide who can be held accountable for the end of the Reconstruction Era. Attempts to rebuild the South ceased to exist in 1877, just over ten years after the Confederacy surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in Appomattox Court House, Virginia. It seemed as though everything was on the right track in 1876, the one hundred year anniversary of The United States. That was, however, until the South waged conflict against black and white citizens of The United States.
The Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a time in American History after the Civil War of 1861-1865, and it lasted up until the Compromise of 1877. During the Reconstruction period people made attempts to rebuild the country after the bloody war. The goal was to bring former confederate states right back into the United States along with providing social, political, and economic opportunities for African Americans in the post slavery South. This freedom for ex-slaves meant that they could dress as they pleased, reconnect with their loved ones, change their names, uniting their families in a single household, women could refuse full time field work, men could take the place as the head of their families and so much more. Many Southern
The Reconstruction period lasted from 1865 to 1877. The thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendment were created during the twelve years of rebuilding the country. All of the amendments were made to protect former slaves and their rights but on paper they did not have any rights. The reconstruction period had its successes and failures.
Racism’s Impact on Reconstruction 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
