The First Reconstructions held out the great promise of doing away with racial injustices that had divided America for so long. The First Reconstruction, emerging after the Civil War, developed with the goal of achieving equality for Blacks in voting, politics, and use of facilities for the general public. Even though the movement was birthed with high hopes, it failed in achieving its goals. Born in hope, it died in despair, as the movement saw many of its gains washed away. Though the period of time during the First Reconstruction is sometimes characterized as a “golden age” in African-American history, I propose a hypothesis that this is due to humans’, subsequently White Americans, blatant disregard or censorship for the hardships that …show more content…
were endured by the African-Americans, and inordinate glorification of both minor and major progress ultimately leading to an inflated and grossly fantasized outlook on the period. This ultimately led me to think “why was the First Reconstruction not successful in truly freeing African-Americans?” I theorize that this is due to the failure of the government to incorporate economic justice for African-Americans in the movement, led to the failure of the First Reconstruction. The First Reconstruction ultimately took root after the Civil War and lasted for several years. The economic, social, and political conditions after the Civil War outlined the goals of the First Reconstruction. Sadly, and quite paradoxically, during this period Congress was divided politically on issues that stemmed from the Civil War: equality for African-Americans, renewal of the South’s infrastructure, remittance of Southern states into the Union, and ultimately deciding who would control the government. Socially, the South was in a dismal state. Newly emancipated slaves wandered the South after departing from their former masters, and the White population was psychologically devastated, uneasy about what lay ahead. Economically, the South was also crippled: plantations lay ruined from the aftermath of the war, railroads were badly damaged, the major labor system of slave labor in laid in shambles, and cities turned to ash. The economic condition of freed Blacks after the Civil War had no real development, it wasn’t really looked at as being a major problem at all for the most part. Amid the post-Civil War chaos, various political groups were rising into power. First, Democratic Southerners, a party comprised of leaders of the defeated confederacy and wealthy southern whites, sought to put an end to what they believed as northern domination of the south. They also sought to institute Black Codes, which limited the rights of Blacks to move, vote, travel, and change jobs, which much like slavery would provide a sufficient and inexpensive labor supply for plantations. Second, Moderate Republicans wanted to work towards a policy to reconcile and rehabilitate bonds between the North and South, paralleled with the continuous effort to ensure that slavery is abolished. Third, Radical Republicans, comprised of Northern politicians, were anti-slavery, unsympathetic towards the plights of the South, wanted ensure the safety of newly freed slaves, and keep maintain their foothold as the majority in Congress. At the same time, various sympathetic groups such as, abolitionists and Quakers also started to arise. Strongly motivated by their principles and a beliefs in equality, they believed that African-Americans needed equality in American society. The Northern Radical Republicans, who held a majority in Congress, were the pioneers and figures for Reconstruction, which was to prevent slavery from being instituted again in America, but specifically the South. At first, they thought that this could be accomplished by banning slavery with the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, but Southern Democrats in their pursuit to restore their hold in the South reinstated slavery in all but name, through the passing of the Black Codes as early as 1865. This infuriated the Republicans and northerners, ultimately 1866 leading to the passing of a bill to extend the life and responsibilities of the Freedmen's Bureau to protect newly freed slaves against the Black Codes. Shortly after the new goals of the government, were based on humanitarian and political considerations. Northerners were becoming more aware of the plight of the Blacks in the south and grew increasingly sympathetic. Many incidents where innocent Blacks were harassed, beaten, and killed by groups such as the KKK were just one of such issues during the time. This leads to the conclusion that the demise of the First Reconstruction stems from the failure of Reconstruction leaders to include economic independence for Blacks as a plausible plan; thus dooming the Reconstruction movement from the outset.
The failure of pursuing a policy of economic empowerment forced African-Americans into political alliances that quickly vanished. African-Americans were forced to rely on the government and federal troops to help institute their rights, subsequently leading to a need for their former slave masters, the white southerners, to safeguard and uphold their rights. When an alliance with African-Americans no longer served the interests of the whites they were easily abandoned. The African-Americans were left economically naked covered in only a loincloth of political rights. But this loincloth was easily stripped away from them, due to their lack of economic power. Without economic power they were unable to form pacts with other political allies. Their economic standing allowed them to be manipulated by white land owners. They had no means of being able to lobby the government, no way to escape the south, few opportunities for employment, and for many of them no means to an education. The pioneers of the First Reconstruction did not understand that without economic independence, African-Americans would be forced into a dependency on the hegemonic white power structure to protect their rights and when these rights no longer served the interests of this power they could and were easily stripped
away. The dictionary definition of “Golden Age” is “an idyllic, often imaginary past time of peace, prosperity, and happiness.” It goes onto to saying that it is a period in which a specified art, skill, or activity is at its peak. By no means was the period of the First Reconstruction a time of prosperity for African-Americans. Sadly to this day it is still not a time of prosperity for African-Americans. During the period of the First Reconstruction, Blacks continued to be dependent on White-Americans and served the white hegemony for its personal gain. Though they were FREE, spoken words hold no value till actions are taken to solidify them and bring their real meaning to existence. Much like the words in fairy tales, the rights and freedom of African-Americans laid existence in only the tongues of Americans, but remained to be seen in their actions.
Yes, Reconstruction was doomed to fail. The first reason for this was that Lincoln started a plan or policy for Reconstruction before the Civil War was over (page 792 of our assigned readings). Lincoln said that "he intended to to deal with the defeated South "with malice toward none" and "charity for all" to "achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves (Page 792 of our assigned readings)."" The first problem with this thought is that who knows how the war would play out? Yes, Lincoln believed that this proposition would help end the war, but was that a good time to begin Reconstruction? Before the war even ended? Lincoln's plan eventually angered many Radical Republicans, and that is how the Wade-Davis Bill was introduced.
As an unabridged version of his other book, Eric Foner sets out to accomplish four main goals in A Short History of Reconstruction. These points enable the author to provide a smaller, but not neglectful, account of the United States during Reconstruction. By exploring the essence of the black experience, examining the ways in which Southern society evolved, the development of racial attitudes and race relations, and the complexities of race and class in the postwar South, as well as the emergence during the Civil War and Reconstruction of a national state possessing vastly expanded authority and a new set of purposes, Foner creates a narrative that encompasses some of the major issues during Reconstruction. Additionally, the author provides
While the formal abolition of slavery, on the 6th of December 1865 freed black Americans from their slave labour, they were still unequal to and discriminated by white Americans for the next century. This ‘freedom’, meant that black Americans ‘felt like a bird out of a cage’ , but this freedom from slavery did not equate to their complete liberty, rather they were kept in destitute through their economic, social, and political state.
Race, Reform, and Rebellion: The Second Reconstruction and Beyond in Black America, 1945-2006. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2007.
Discuss Whether Reconstruction Was a Success or a Failure. Reconstruction is the period of rebuilding the south that preceded the Civil War (1861-1865). This period of time is set by the question, now what? The Union won the war and most of the south was destroyed. Devastation, buildings turned into crumbles and lost crops.
The Strange Career of Jim Crow, by C. Van Woodward, traces the history of race relations in the United States from the mid and late nineteenth century through the twentieth century. In doing so Woodward brings to light significant aspects of Reconstruction that remain unknown to many today. He argues that the races were not as separate many people believe until the Jim Crow laws. To set up such an argument, Woodward first outlines the relationship between Southern and Northern whites, and African Americans during the nineteenth century. He then breaks down the details of the injustice brought about by the Jim Crow laws, and outlines the transformation in American society from discrimination to Civil Rights. Woodward’s argument is very persuasive because he uses specific evidence to support his opinions and to connect his ideas. Considering the time period in which the book and its editions were written, it should be praised for its insight into and analysis of the most important social issue in American history.
Reconstruction is known as the period after the Civil war. The whole country was separated in two, people didn’t know what to do, the south was completely destroyed, and there were a lot of decisions to be made by the president. It lasted four years, and there was over half a million casualties between the union (North) and the confederate states (South). The north was declared the winner of the war after General Lee surrender in the Appomattox court house on April 9, 1865. The causes of the war was the secession of several southern states, they argued that it was up to them and it was in their rights to decide whether they should make slavery legal or illegal in their own boundaries. But the Union had other things in mind, the union wanted to decide whether or not the states were going to have slaves. This was just to make sure the country was equal on slavery and non-slavery on both sides, but states thought the union was abusing their power and being too strict on them, and that is when they decided to secede. The first state to secede was south Carolina, then they were followed by six other states, among those states were Florida, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. These states got together and created the confederate states of America in February 4, 1861, and the president was Jefferson Davis, they also made a government similar to the one of the U.S. Constitution.
Reconstruction was the time period following the Civil War, which lasted from 1865 to 1877, in which the United States began to rebuild. The term can also refer to the process the federal government used to readmit the defeated Confederate states to the Union. While all aspects of Reconstruction were not successful, the main goal of the time period was carried out, making Reconstruction over all successful. During this time, the Confederate states were readmitted to the Union, the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments were ratified, and African Americans were freed from slavery and able to start new lives.
The Reconstruction was a failure, because it lacked on economic contribution, and to abolish the freed slaves, it did not bring about long-term racial integration. Reconstruction endured from 1865 to 1877 and was a standout amongst the most disputable periods in the country's history. One of the reasons for the failure of Reconstruction was the dropped costs of harvests. Numerous ranchers could not live off what they earned. The depression caused the cost of cotton to about drop by half. A considerable number of the principle yields, for example, tobacco, rice, and sugar additionally declined. "The depression disturbed business, bankrupted vendors, truly undermined the financial circumstance or craftsman, and everything except dispensed with
The Reconstruction was a success due to the restoration of the union, however, it was a failure in every other aspect because President Andrew Johnson and the Republican-led Congress failed to protect former slaves from white oppression and failed to deliver on major changes to the social structure of the South. President Andrew Johnson offered pardons to all white Southerners, except Confederate leaders and wealthy planters (although most of these men received pardons at a later date), and allowed them to form their new governments. By granting southern states the opportunity to form their own new governments, black codes, voter qualifications, and other anti-progressive legislation, which tried to reverse the rights that blacks had gained,
The Civil War left the South in ruins, socially, economically, and literally. The Confederacy’s currency was destroyed, people were debating if colored people deserved rights, and the towns inhabiting the South were left in shambles. President Abraham Lincoln proposed reconstruction plans before his assassination, allowing the country to prevent another Civil War. These plans included the Freedman’s Bureau, an organization which helped former slaves start their lives as free men and the Ten Percent Plan, where a state would be readmitted into the Union if 10% of voters swore loyalty to the Union and swore against slavery. However, America’s ability to recover after their internal war was challenged as President Andrew Johnson came into power
I believe that Reconstruction was more of failure than success. After examining these documents, they made me believe that Reconstruction was just a hidden way of slavery. After abolishing slavery, Southerners did many things that makes you think it’s another way of slavery. Sharecroppers went into debt, the Black codes, Jim Crow Laws, the K.K.K, all made it unequal for colored people. Reconstruction was more of a failure for the country by affecting many freemen and it cause a scary era for the country.
When America started off as a nation, many political changes has come to the country over the years. Presidents come and go throughout time and so do their plans and attempts at a better future. As history has gone by their plans have had success and have failed with the American public. The movement of reconstruction which had to put the pieces of America back together after the American civil war. The political movement ended in 1877 while modern historians are split among the views of whether it should be considered a failure or success.
After the ending of one of the savage war in American history: the Civil War, the Reconstruction Era was just around the corner with the introduction of new goal set for the American society. The Reconstruction Era is described as an era of turbulence in which there was an attempt but failure was victorious. There were few goals that the Reconstruction had. The first was to transform or reconstruct the South, the second was to strengthen and pass down laws, which will aid freemen, and lastly was to restore the Union back again.
Massive protests against racial segregation and discrimination broke out in the southern United States that came to national attention during the middle of the 1950’s. This movement started in centuries-long attempts by African slaves to resist slavery. After the Civil War American slaves were given basic civil rights. However, even though these rights were guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment they were not federally enforced. The struggle these African-Americans faced to have their rights ...