The Reconstruction Era, which followed the Civil War, ran from 1865 to 1877. During this time, the United States underwent reconstruction to help restore the physical and social structures that had been destroyed during the conflict. Among the goals were the reconnection of the Southern States with the Union, the protection of free African Americans' civil rights through the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, and the attempt to restore and reinforce the ties between the state and federal governments. Reconstruction left African Americans vulnerable to inequality and unsteady economic prosperity, while the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups failed to protect them. Reconstruction was deemed effective once the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution were ratified. The 13th Amendment, which made slavery illegal, fundamentally changed the course of American history. This amendment sparked controversy across the country since the South had been using slaves as leverage and disapproved of it when slavery was outlawed. The 14th Amendment protected rights to citizenship and equal protection under the law. African Americans can now take advantage of the same safeguards as any other citizen of the United States thanks to this. Lastly, the 15th Amendment states that no individual may have their right to vote restricted because of their …show more content…
During this time, there was a great deal of violence and discrimination. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and other white organizations launched a despicable campaign among Republican lawmakers, African American communities, and benevolent white sympathizers. The Ku Klux Klan's use of lynchings, killings, and eventually intimidation undercut the Reconstruction era and the progress made in civil rights. After the Compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction and soldiers were removed from the South, Black Americans were no longer targets of
Reconstruction of the nation consisted of protecting black civil rights and the distribution of land among the freedmen. Republicans were the primary people for Reconstruction. Lincoln, Johnston, and the Radical Republican were major contributors for Reconstruction. The three urged the abolition of slavery, unite as one country, and the reestablishment of loyal governments. In addition, it also led to the suffrage of African Americans. However, Reconstruction also came with disagreements between
Washington believes that reconstruction is doomed for failure since the beginning of the period because the people looked to the government on how to act, people being not educated so they wouldn’t be ready for the duties of citizen ship, and the ignorance of the African Americans and their dependence on the government for everything. It was also because of how early it was after the age of slavery but Washington still attempted many different ways to help promote the reconstruction in hopes that one day
The Reconstruction era was the period from 1863 which was the legal end of slavery in the United States or 1865 which was the end of the Confederacy to 1877. In the background of the history of the United States, the term has two applications: the first applies to the complete history of the entire country from 1865 to 1877 following the Civil War (1861 to 1865); the second, to the attempted transformation of the Southern United States from 1863 to 1877, as ordered by Congress. Reconstruction ended
History has a way of repeating itself. We are part of a world where equal rights are still being debated today. During the Reconstruction era from 1865-1877, there were many attempts made to rebuild and restore the remnants left by the Civil War. At the forefront of Reconstruction was the main priority of eradicating slavery. This was accomplished initially by the 13th Amendment, with the 14th Amendment naturalizing all citizens, regardless of race and the 15th Amendment extending the right to vote
The Reconstruction era began after the Civil War was won by the Union in 1865 with the main goal being to bring the two pieces of what used to be America, back together again without slavery. Problems quickly aroused after it became clear that how they were planning on reuniting the two sides were divided. Abraham Lincoln, president at the time, proposed a plan to pardon all Confederates if they swore allegiance to the North, except the former high-ranked officials and war criminals. If the state
Reconstruction was in many ways a failed attempt at rebuilding America. The aftershocks of this era will have lasting effects on the American society for centuries to come. This period was intended to stitch America back together after the ravages of the Civil War. U.S. History describes it as: “although the military conflict had ended, Reconstruction was in many ways still a war” (“Reconstruction”). Instead of uniting again, this time period drove the North and the South further apart. The North
The Reconstruction Act was an immediate response after the Civil War to try and rebuild the United States. Although the military conflicts were over the Reconstruction was in many ways still considered a war. The important struggle was how the radical northerners wanted to punish the south and the southerners who desperately just wanted to preserve their way of life. The federal government outlawed slavery with the 13th amendment, defined citizenship and protected the americans with the 14th amendment
that from blacks. All because of reconstruction with north and south. Reconstruction started in 1865 and didn't end till 1877 it was a war between the confederate(South) and Union(North) to get rid of slavery for good. The north wanted to get blacks the freedom they deserved, but the south wasn’t all of it. The goal of reconstruction was to combine the north and south once again, and rebuild what was damaged in the civil war and free all African Americans. Reconstruction failed because the south resisted
The Reconstruction debate has haunted historians since the process began. First, both politicians and citizens argued about how the ordeal should be carried out. Then, the historians analyzed and debated over the success of Reconstruction and the true motives of those who pushed for Reconstruction; for instance, questions regarding whether the radical Republicans really cared about obtaining freedoms for freed African Americans (rather than solely caring about revenge and power) and whether Reconstruction
most importantly socially. The reconstruction period was an emotional and intense time for the African-Americans ending with the assassination of president Abraham Lincoln. Andrew Johnson was inaugurated in March, 1865 which changed life drastically for the rights of African Americans. One of the freedmen testified, “the Yankees ‘tol’ us we were free, but once the army left, planters would get cruel to the slaves if they acted like they were free”. The reconstruction era was unsuccessful and was a
The federal Reconstruction efforts from 1865 through 1878 were mostly resisted because most southerners treated the blacks the same as when they were slaves. Many blacks were killed when they were set free because people believed they should stay slaves. There were also groups that threatened the blacks and killed them for supporting Republican beliefs. Finally, the employers of freed blacks watched over them like they were slaves even though they were free. Once the slaves were set free in the
After the Civil War the Reconstruction Era occurred in the southern United States. The Reconstruction Era deeply impacted the south in a negative way for minority. African American were unjustly treated by the white Americans, their rights were limited and or taken away. As a result, they fought hard to obtain equal treatment as citizens. Blacks tried to fight segregation in many ways like at the ballot boxes, in the courtrooms, and through organizations like the National Association of the Advancement
The Reconstruction was an eight-year effort to fix the South after the Civil War left it destroyed. Now that the Civil War ended, and the North & South were united once again, they were the ones responsible for fixing the economic, political, and social damage. Though the Reconstruction was made to unite all Americans and support equality, the Reconstruction ended up tearing America apart. This support soon came to an end in the mid-1870s with the question being; How much responsibility does the
Blomenkamp English III/U.S. History 29 October 2014 Reconstruction of the South Think back to when the Civil War finally ended after five terrible years of battle and a poor farmer is trying to pick up his life make a living for his family. The southern reconstruction of 1865 was suppose to aid the farmer in reestablish his life and homestead, yet the years delay postponed the inevitable. After the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, the Reconstruction Bill halted, due to the policies for President
or “reconstruct” the political, economic, and social relationship of the southern states with the rest of the Union. The period of this process of bringing the states of the Confederacy back into the Union is called Reconstruction. It is impossible to fully understand Reconstruction without a grasp of the social and economic upheaval the war brought about. For the people living through the times, this upheaval created a situation that demanded immediate attention. Economically, the South had been