Was Reconstruction A Positive Or Negative Impact On African Americans?

There are different perspectives on the history of Reconstruction; some people believe that rebuilding the South during the period of 1865 to 1877 was a very important stage in the United States history because it was the start of American Society as a home of freedom. However, others view Reconstruction as a negative impact on African Americans. Ronald E. Butchart sees Reconstruction as the main reason for educational discrimination against African Americans. Reconstruction in the South helped African Americans in good ways, such as giving them the freedom they deserved. Like anything else, Reconstruction in the South had purposes, achievements, and failures. The main purpose for Reconstruction in the South was to restore the south to the

These wars began in the 1800’s and continued to worsen throughout westward expansion. The article, Indian wars and Westward Expansion summarizes this perfectly, “Among the most detrimental policies for Native Americans in U.S history began in the early 1800s.” This quote marks the beginning of the fight for the west. Indian wars were constant, and caused by tension for who would dominate the land. In the article, Lessons from the Indian Wars, it states, “...Indian wars were constant. From 1786 through 1889, according to R. Ernest and Trevor N. Dupuy’s The Encyclopedia of Military History, the army fought, ‘943 actions in twelve separate campaigns and numerous local incidents.” This quote shows the quantity of what Americans and Native Americans had to face violence wise during westward expansion. Violence, of course, was not the only thing Native Americans had to face; they also had to face the fact that their land and culture were being taken from them. Many Native Americans believed it was their duty to fight and protect their land. During this time, a tribe stuck together and worked to gather food, make shelter, and participate in their traditions. In the article, Ties That Bind: The Story of an Afro-Cherokee Family in Slavery and Freedom, it discusses how the family sticks together to maintain their

The Americans pushing Native Americans off their land as well as forcing them to participate in acts other than their culture, was an act of cultural genocide. The article, The Impact of Westward Expansion on Native Americans and the Role of Government, gives us insight on what an Indian chief thinks. “It did not occur to me at the time that I was going away to learn the ways of the white man. My idea was that I was leaving the reservation and going to stay away long enough to do some brave deed, and then come home again alive. If I could just do that, then I knew my father would be so proud of me.” The quote shows how important Native American culture was; to serve your people would be a good deed and would make the community proud, but Americans were keeping Native Americans away from their culture and forcing them to do something else. This supports the hypothesis of how Americans treated Native Americans unethically during westward expansion. The Americans cut off the Native American’s main source of food and the basis for their economy in order to build the railroad, another act in the westward expansion. Large amounts of bison were killed off because they were in the way of construction. Many Native Americans were forced to remain in small reservations, which was not part of their nomadic culture. Native Americans were not allowed to have tents and were forced