After Reconstruction Dbq

The Reconstruction Era refers to the period after the civil war ends from – 1863 to 1877. After the civil war was over slavery was abolished and the American government began trying to repair the country and assist in bettering the lives of those who up to the end of the war were considered property. The stigma and hearted for and towards African Americans did not simply end when the war was over. African Americans were discriminated against in every way imaginable during reconstruction and after reconstruction was over an egalitarian society was far from created. This essay will take a look at the way state governments, local governments and the federal government played a role in keeping African Americans down and limiting them from fulfilling

their full potential. This essay will also disuse how the needs of politicians, businesses and white intellects came before the well-being and the advancement of African Americans.
After the war was over many intellectuals felt that African Americans had the right to the same benefits that white men received from the United States government.

Intellectuals such as W.E. B. Du Bois believed that African Americans both those who were born free and those who were made free by the war had the right to three fundamental rights: the right to vote, the right to be treated as equals in a society and the right to a proper education . Du Bois went on to state that African American need to fight for their rights as they were promised. “By every civilized and peaceful method we must strive for the rights which the world accords to men, clinging unwaveringly to those great words which the sons of the Fathers would fain forget: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of

happiness’”
The right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness was not that simple for African Americans especially with the rise of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Reconstruction Era aimed to created equality between people who once referred to each other as master and slave. The rise of the KKK brutalized and terrorized African Americans for years simply for daring to fight for equality. “Many blacks suffered merely for exercising their rights as citizens. Alabama freedman George Moore reported how, in 1960 Klansmen came to his home administrated a beating” . Many black leaders had to leave their homes because the KKK was targeting them. The Klan would often whip, murder and rape African Americans. Although many politicians would claim that those in the Klan were just criminals – that was far from the case. The members on this Klan were respectable members in their communities including the son of North Carolina’s Chief Justice. Elected officials only fueled the power of the KKK, some refusing to acknowledge that the organization exited, others just chose to blame the victim but miss characterizing those who were harmed.
The first right that was taken away from African Americans as soon as it was given was the right to vote and to fully participate in politics. In order fro African Americans to be part of a society and be fully represent in a society. Even though African Americans were given political roles they were often taken away from them and given to white people. As we learned in Eric Foner’s book in order to gain the support of white people in the south Republicans started to remove the few African American leaders and replace them with white men. “Even in South Carolina, Robert k. Scott, who appointed a significant number of black trial justices, soon replaced them with white Democrats” . This was not a isolated experience in South Carolina – but rather an epidemic that was occurring all of the United States. In states like Texas, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Virginia no African American held office during reconstruction .
Not only was it hard for African Americans to get elected or appointed to a political role it was also damming if they did. White individuals punished African Americans when they took part in politics. For many white politicians being involved in politics meant social mobility, however, that was not the case for African Americans. For African Americans political involved typically lead to complete loses. Eric Foner quotes an African American who was a Union Organizer and state legislator during reconstruction – Henry Johnson who describes the hardships he faced due to his political involvement. Johnson who in addition to being in politics was a bricklayer and blaster states “I always had plenty of work before I went into politics … but I have never gotten a job since” . Taking part in politics often penalized African American leaders.
African Americans were further discouraged from taking part in the political process when states made it harder for them to vote. States introduced various laws such as the poll tax, introducing new requirements regarding residency. This limited African Americans because up to recently they were considered property therefore earning no wages, after they were ‘freed’ African Americans were still paid less than white individuals. The unemployment rate for African Americans was much higher than that of whites, which further imitated the Ability to pay extra fees. Most African Americans who were just freed were also illiterate – so states passed literacy test laws in order to ensure that African Americans wouldn’t vote. In order for illiterate whites to vote in some state grandfather clauses were established. These laws yet again kept African Americans from voting because if one was illiterate and want vote their grandfather must have been able to vote and – African Americans had just gotten the right to vote.
Education was considered a basic right for most whites but that same right was not extended to the African Americans community. Although education in the south greatly improved there were more than 1500 schools in Texas by 1872 with almost all of the children in the state in school. In Mississippi, South Carolina and Florida had at least half of their kids enrolled in school at least 70% of African Americans were uneducated. White parents refused to send their children to schools alongside black children and the option of segregated private schools started to rise. Any for of integration between black and white children was met with sever consequences. “A Texas board of education that attempted to intergrade one school was removed by the Republican state superintendent” . Public funding was not for African American schools were not the same that it was for white schools. Black schools often had less funding, less materials and unqualified teachers. In certain states public schools for black children were to be financed by taxes placed of black individuals.
Segregation was becoming the law of the land. There were separated schools, skating rings, restaurants and more. Although many in the Black community especially with the rise of black churches didn’t at first mind the segregation. It was soon clear that separated but equal did not mean what it suggested. African Americans had a right to be treated equally and they were not. When it came to public transportation they were forced to ride in train carts that were meant for those who smoked and those who drink, where the conditions were not appropriate. Due to clear injustices some African Americans decided to sue. A Georgia legislator received $2,000 from a Virginia railroad after being denied entrance to a first-class car, P.B.S Pinchbeck won a out of state settlement and this eventually lead to Plessy v. Ferguson.
In 1890 Louisiana passed the Separated Car Act, this act required all railway companies to provide equal but separation seats for whites and Blacks.

Homer Plessy described himself as being seven eighths white and one eighth black. Plessy who looked white let the conductor know that he was of mixed race then proceeded to take a seat on a spot that was reserved for white people. He was asked to move but refused to do so and was later forcibly removed from the train. During the trial Plessy argued that the Louisiana Law was unconstitutional and that it violated his 13th and 14th Amendment rights. The lower Courts dismissed his argument and the Louisiana Law (The Separated Car Act) was found Constitutional. Plessy later appealed to the Supreme

Court.
The question that was brought before the Court was: whether the Separated Car Act law was unconstitutional and whether it violated both the 13th and 14th Amendment? In a 7-1 decision the Court held that the Separated Car Act was not unconstitutional. Justice Brown wrote the majority decision; Justice Brown stated that the law does not conflict with the 13th Amendment, which is intended to abolish slavery. Justice Brown stated that the law was not advocating owning individuals or promoting slavery therefore it does not violate the 13th amendment. The court also concluded that the law did not violate the 14th Amendment. The reasoning of the court was that the Separated Car Act meat the standards set by the Equal Protection Clause. Justice Brown also concluded that this act does not imply that either race is inferior or superior therefore everyone is being treated equally.
Justice Brown goes on to explain that the Fourteenth Amendment protects political rights but does not promote social equality. The 14th Amendment was intended to create equality but not to abolish racial distinctions. In conclusion it was declared that Separated but Equal is acceptable as long as the laws are reasonable. The key to the case was the phrase “separated but equal”. There is no law forbidding people to be segregated there is only an obligation to treat people the same, in a sense that means segregation does not equal unlawful discrimination. This decision continued to push for state based discrimination and the state continued to hold African Americans back.
The case of Plessy really set the tone for how the law was going to handle the case of racial inequality. Years after they were freed and hundreds of years later after reconstruction African Americans still faced discrimination. Politian’s built their political career on the suffering and backs of African Americans. Whether it was giving whites power in order to remain in power, giving harder punishments to African Americans, ignoring schemes by companies looking to scam African Americans and even ignoring the deaths of blacks; white intellectuals and lawmakers were responsible for the inequalities that African Americans faced. In his descending opinion Justice Marshall wrote “In the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant, ruling class of citizens. There is no caste here. Our constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens” . As powerful as that quote may have been it wasn’t true during that time nor is it true today.