How Did Reconstruction Fail

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Final Project Essay: Reconstruction
Hundreds of years of US history were covered over the course of Ms. Zink’s U.S History class; everything from the country’s birth to the modern day. But one era of the United State’s history stood out as being particularly relevant and important today: Reconstruction. The American Civil War may have been a defining moment in American history, but it was the events of the decade following it, that cemented its lasting impact. During Reconstruction the Federal government attempted to enforce racial equality in the South, and it met with some initial success. The failures of Reconstruction — at least in achieving true racial equality — still echo through today. Reconstruction was the closest pre-20th century …show more content…

As the years of Reconstruction passed, white Northerners grew unwilling to commit further resources in aiding blacks. Eventually, the North abandoned African Americans to the whims of the same people who had claimed them as property only a decade earlier. (Gordon-Reed, Annette. “What If Reconstruction Hadn't Failed?”) The failure of Reconstruction is ultimately even more important than its initial success. The abandonment of Southern blacks, by the Federal government, allowed white supremacy to reassert itself, and led to over a century of suffering and poverty among African Americans. It is important to study this failure, so we can avoid similar failings today. We — at least those of us who live in democratic western countries — often view history as a narrative of neverending progress, but Reconstruction proves this false.

The lessons of Reconstruction still apply today. The violent overthrow of racially equal governments by Southern white terrorist groups, and the subsequent century of oppression should serve as a warning for us now. (Foner, Eric. “Successes and Failures of Reconstruction Hold Many Lessons”) The tragedy of Reconstruction should remind us, that no amount of progress is immune to ignorance and hate; progress is not inevitable, nor is it irreversible. It is important to study Reconstruction because it proves that history is not a forward march towards enlightenment, but a constant moral

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