What Was The Main Cause Of Reconstruction Dbq

The Civil War was one of America’s most trying and troubling times. Following the Civil War was Reconstruction, which posed an important question that would affect the country forever, “What do we do with the South?” During Reconstruction, the Government was faced with a plethora of difficult questions to answer and a series of difficult situations, but the topic at hand was the same reason the Civil War started in the first place: African Americans. The statement “After the Civil War, the only way to truly enfranchise former slaves was by effectively disenfranchising their former masters” is true because white Southerners would constantly and consistently attempt to undermine African Americans.

Prior to the Reconstruction Era, the Union and the Confederate states had just engaged in a war concerning slavery and the unity of the United States, which is also known as the Civil War. The damage from the war was economically, socially and politically devastating to the United States of America as a whole. The newly liberated African Americans were harassed, tormented and even killed in the communities they had developed after the Civil War. Literacy tests were implemented as a way to prevented the miseducated African American male from suffrage. Lastly, early Jim Crow laws originated during this time period. The Reconstruction Era not only did not solve any of the existing economical, political or social problems but also introduced several

According to (“The Thirteenth Amendment”, 2017). “The Thirteenth Amendment is divided into two parts. The first section prohibits “slavery” and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime”. The Thirteenth Amendment forbids slavery. Furthermore, slavery was not allowed in the United States. Involuntary slavery was also banned by the Thirteenth Amendment. Involuntary slavery is the condition of an individual who works for another individual against his or her will because of force, regardless of whether the individual is paid for the labor. Consequently, slaves were set free, from working without paying. Slaves no longer had to work for free or work for little

Southern states were required to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment before being readmitted to the union. The Fourteenth Amendment was adopted on July 9, 1868 as a Reconstruction Amendment. It was proposed in response to issues related to former slaves following the American Civil War, addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws. “ The states had to ratify the 14th Amendment to be accepted. (The amendment requires states to provide equal protection under the law to all persons (not only to citizens) within their jurisdictions). Southern states were required to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment in order to be eligible for readmission into the Union. In June 1868, seven ex-Confederate states voted to ratify the amendment, and the amendment finally passed.” ( yahoo) . “ The amendment was designed to grant citizenship to and protect the civil liberties of recently freed slaves. It did this by granting citizenship to anyone born in the United States and prohibiting states from denying or abridging the privileges or immunities of citizens of the U.S., depriving any person of his life, liberty, or property without due process of law, or denying to any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” (pbs) To sum this up the 14th amendment was important because it granted freed slaves citizenship and equal

Congress aimed for the Bureau to include protection for all the black population and they override Johnson’s veto. The Civil Rights Bill granted American citizenship to blacks and denied the states the power to limit their right to obtain property, testify in court, and make contract for their labor. Furthermore, congress wanted to make sure the states were following the ideas of the Civil Rights Act by adding the fourteenth amendment. This amendment granted state and federal citizenship for all people born or naturalized in the United States, forbade any state to deny anyone equal protection of the law, and disqualified former Confederates from holding federal and state office. Additionally, Congress aimed to remove all Black Codes and ensure that all states follow the 13th amendment, that legally emancipated slaves. Republicans were concerned that as the states were re-admitted to the union they would disregard many of these new amendments and acts, and withdraw black suffrage. They decided to add the fifteenth amendment, which denied the states the right to prohibit anyone from voting “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” However, this did not include gender which upset many feminists at the time. The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was one of the final congressional reconstruction

This brought about an amendment, which seemed radical at the time, and caused much debate and dissent, but would forever change the United States of America. The 13th amendment was likely the most notable amendment passed during the 19th century. Its purpose was simple, it abolished slavery, but yet it did still maintain clauses allowing imprisoned felons to be put to work in forms of monitored servitude. Although states were unwilling at first, the amendment came to fruition after the end of the Civil War. Although many were happy with their newfound freedom, even more questions arose. Many of the slaves were released from their bondage, often with nothing more than the clothes on their back. With no property, no money, and often no education, what were these newly free men and women to do? This amendment was successful in its goal of abolishing slavery, but it in turn created many problems with the freed slaves. To counteract this, subsequent legislations were passed to assist in the shift from slavery to

Constitution, following the end of the Civil War. It is evident that Lincoln desired the restoration of national unity, as well as the assurance of equal liberties to all people. Thus, on January 31, 1865, Congress ratified the Thirteen Amendment, which formally abolished slavery in the United States. Soon thereafter, Congress sanctioned the Fourteenth Amendment in July of 1868, defining the civil liberties and rights of all individuals in the United States. As written in Document one, the Fourteenth Amendment declared, “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law, which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law…” The passing of this amendment was an essential step in the establishment of equal rights for former slaves. However, the Fifteenth Amendment, passed in February of 1870, greatly impacted the lives of African American men. It granted all male citizens, regardless of “race, color, or previous conditions of servitude,” the right to vote. Despite the passing of these three amendments, former slaves, nevertheless, were confronted with numerous political challenges. While acknowledged as citizens of the United States by law, African Americans were not considered equal to the white population, particularly in the southern states. Southerners were truly angered with the federal government and violently protested. Document three titled “Petition to the United States Congress,” was written by a concerned African American citizen. In his letter, he articulates his fears and concerns about the terrorizing actions of the Ku Klux Klan. He pleads with Congress to protect him and his fellow African Americans, as they may not be familiar with

Ratified on December 6, 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment stated that, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” The purpose of this amendment was clear: to free the slaves. However, due to black codes, the Thirteenth Amendment was unable to truly free the slaves. Black codes were laws that limited the freedoms of African Americans, specifically by stripping away their rights as American citizens. An example of a black code would be, which stated that “every civil officer shall, and every person may, arrest and carry back to his or her legal employer any freedman, free negro, or mulatto who shall have quit the service of his or her employer before the expiration of his or her term of service without good cause.” Even if the slaves were freed, they were still forced to work for their previous “employer”, pushing them back into the same exact conditions that they were in previously. The slaves were still bound to their masters, even if they were not necessarily slaves. Due to these reasons, the Thirteenth Amendment was clearly not successful in freeing the

Reconstruction is commonly known as the period of time the that followed the Civil War in hopes of reforming the south. Reconstruction was a time when the effects of the war had to be accounted for, and a time for change to attempt to be administered. During this time the Union had to propose ways to let the southern states back in, due to their secession during and before the war. The south had to deal with tragedies within their economy and homes following the war, and African Americans pressed forward with their fight for equality during this time. Overall reconstruction had only minor points of success and was a failure as a whole,but would

Though the fourteenth amendment prohibited state governments from discriminating against people because of race, it did not restrict private organizations or individuals from doing so. White southerners determined to strip African Americans of the right to vote established the poll tax and the literacy test. In some cases whites such as the Klu Klux Klan and the Knights of the White Camellia used outright intimidation and violence to undermine the Reconstruction regimes. The Republican Congress responded with the Enforcement Acts of 1870 and 1871 which prohibited states from discriminating against voters on the basis of race and gave the national government the authority to prosecute crimes by individuals under federal law and use federal troops to protect civil rights. Unfortunately, after the adoption of the 15th Amd. (1870), some reformers convinced themselves that their long campaign on behalf of black people was now over, since blacks should be able to take care of themselves with the right to

The thirteenth amendment was an amendment that was very important in history and changed how we live today. The thirteenth amendment made slavery unconstitutional and illegal to own and trade them. In response to the civil war, the thirteenth amendment was passed. It was ratified by the Congress on December 6, 1865. The thirteenth amendment was passed because many people started to believe that the slaves should be given rights and called equals to the whites.

The 13th amendment was the gut punch to the southern way of life. Slavery or involuntary servitude could no longer legally exist in the borders of any land under the jurisdiction of the government of the United States. The only exception to this as stated is unless the labor is a form of punishment for a crime and the laborer has been convicted. There were those in the south who would not immediately follow this amendment. Slavery was a key part to the southern economy and a new form

The Thirteenth Amendment was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865 and then ratified on December 6, 1865. Sadly, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated before the thirteenth Amendment was officially adopted in December of 1865. However, the amendment was first passed in the House of Senate and later finally passed by the House of Representatives which voted one hundred and nineteen to fifty six. Furthermore, this amendment to the United States Constitution officially abolished slavery in the United States of America and other places under their jurisdiction. The Thirteenth Amendment declared that “"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United

The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, unless if it is punishment for committing a crime. The Amendment was passed on January 31, 1865. This Amendment has changed not only the lives of the slaves, or the slave owners, but the people of their future; the people of today’s society. The 13th amendment not only stopped slavery, but started a new type of slavery; the slavery of education. December 18, 1865, Secretary of state William Seward issued a statement verifying the ratification of the 13th Amendment; even though it states the abolishment of slavery, the different races were still separated. It was hard for black people to get any updated books and other necessary tools needed for a good education. There where white only schools, white only stores to having white only water fountains. It was no slavery with chains anymore, but limitations were still amongst those who were not white.

The amendment was first introduced in April 1864 by an active abolitionist petition campaign passed the Thirteenth Amendment to abolish slavery in the United States to the senate but failed. (Lodge). The house of representatives voted 93 to 65. Only four democrats voted in favor of ending slavery, it was mostly a republican party effort. The disapproval from Democrats in the House of Representatives prevented the amendment from receiving the required two-thirds majority. The second time around which was in January 1865 it finally succeeds and was passed by a vote off 119-56 and was sent to the states for ratification ( Sutherland).The amendment was thought to finally free the African American and be treated equal to as white. The 13th amendment was one of the most influential amendments to have ever been passed in the United State. Ending slavery was the start in a new way of living, slavery had been part of united states. The Southern States were forced to free their slaves and to find a new means of supporting themselves and working their cash crops. Even though is was passed on January the amendment finally was approved in December of 1865 with a two-thirds vote in Congress and went into effect fully when three-fourths of the states ratified it on December.(freedomnatinal). It was very easy to see how this could be a result of the Civil War, which was fought over slavery and the separation of the union