Carpetbaggers During The Reconstruction Era

In “The Road to Memphis” Stacey Logan, Cassie’s brother, purchases a car which symbolizes freedom. Most blacks at this time did not have cars because opportunities for money were not common. This led to some whites not believing that the car was Stacey’s and asked lots of questions about how he was able to afford the car. The car also symbolizes freedom because most blacks did not have their own sources of transportation but Stacey did. At the time, since blacks did not have their own transportation, buses and traveling by foot were

Wesley Miller Ms. Trahan 8th Grade English 21 March 2017 Carpetbaggers and Scalawags Reconstruction was a historical time period following the United States Civil War. Most of the South after the Civil War was destroyed. Plantations and crops were damaged or completely destroyed.

There are four details in the picture that depict a carpetbagger as being greedy. The first detail is that he is dressed as a businessman and has an evil look to his face. In the late 1800’s, a common stereotype for businessmen were that they were willing to exploit items for personal benefit. This description fits the man in the picture because he is looking greedily towards the Southern people, hoping to benefit himself. The second detail is that he is carrying a small bag that says “carpetbagger south”.

eric Foner is a history professor at Columbia University, who speciality is in the Civil War and Reconstruction era. He has written many pieces and had many successful publication, and received many awards. Foner is a very passionate man when it comes to the Reconstruction period that occurred after the American Civil War. He wrote a piece entitled “The New View of Reconstruction” which dissects the reconstruction whether the reconstruction succeed or failed. Foner wrote about the political issues, such as the fight between President Johnson and congress, and the new amendments that were created. And the fact that African-Americans were slowly becoming more equally, and organizations were being created to terror anyone supporting the equality of African-Americans. Throughout the reconstruction era the nation had to rebuilt itself as a unified nation, and making many decision that not everyone agreed with.

Reconstruction after the civil war gave African-Americans an extremely limited amount of freedom compared to the equality and freedom that slavery had denied them. Though they were free in theory, in practice, they were not as free at all. At times, they were so restricted that they were basically treated like slaves, even though that isn’t what they were called after reconstruction. Their freedoms in practice were not the humane freedoms they dreamed of; their sphere of freedoms had increased very minimally compared to what they had as slaves. Some of what they had to face now was arguably even more brutal than what they had to face as slaves. After the Civil War, freedom for African-Americans were only “lip deep” (Doc

Frustrated confederate soldiers made their way back home after losing the war that they had been fighting for four years. These men formed vigilante groups, attacking black people. While soldiers did this, wealthier men who had avoided fighting in the war formed agricultural and police clubs for the same purpose; both groups soon took shape and evolved into one large group, known as the Ku Klux Klan and Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest became the first leader, known as the Grand Wizard. The name Ku Klux Klan is derived from the Greek word, Kyklos, meaning circle. The Ku Klux Klan, often shortened to the KKK, was founded in Tennessee in 1866 and grew to be one of the most feared terrorist groups in the United States, before dying off in 1869, but later being revived in 1915 (History.com Staff). The Ku Klux Klan negatively impacted the Reconstruction period through terror, intimidating Republican voters, and killing Republican officials.

After the Civil War, America was still amidst great turmoil and economic instability. During this time period, the ultimate goal for Americans was to seize the “American Dream”. This was defined by most as being able to support their family and live a comfortable life. Although some did achieve this, many faced social, political and economic hardships. Beginning with the unjust treatment of African-Americans, then the struggles of immigrants, and followed by the rise of big businesses, the challenges faced during this time of rebuilding varied among the classes.

What was life like for African Americans in Reconstruction? Life for African Americans during reconstruction meant “former slaves and their white allies, North and South, would seek to redefine the meaning and boundaries of American freedom”.(p549) The reconstruction act temporarily divides the south into five military districts and called for the creation of the new state governments with black men given the right to vote however, to African Americans the reconstruction meant freedom, self-ownership, family stability, religious liberty, political participation and economic autonomy for blacks. “The laws and constitution would be rewritten to guarantee African-Americans, for the first time in the nation’s history, recognition as citizens and

After the Reconstruction era, African Americans were granted citizenry in the United States through the abolition of slavery. As blacks sought to live among American culture, white citizens, primarily based in the South, came under rage. Thus, white supremacy became prominent in the United States after the Reconstruction era, a period also called the Nadir. This erupted into a series of violent attacks against the black community and many legislations to deny blacks the immunities and privileges granted to all people in the constitution.

The Reconstruction era was put into effect by Congress in 1866 and lasted until 1877. Reconstruction was aimed at reorganizing the Southern states after the Civil War. The reconstruction plan granted the means for readmitting the southern states into the Union, and tried to come up with the methods by which whites and blacks could live together in a non-slave society. America's position as a country was established on principles of freedom but those beliefs were weakened by slavery. At the end of the Civil War, many blacks felt that they were entitled to start collecting the benefits that had been denied for so many years. Being able to vote, own land and have a voice in political affairs were all goals that they believed were reachable.

During The Reconstruction era, African Americans faced many obstacles on their way to success. Reconstruction of the United States refers to the remodeling that took place after the civil war. The country was injured in all areas. Its society, economy and physical structure had been In January of 1863; President Abraham Lincoln lifted the chains off thousands of African Americans’ shoulders by releasing the Emancipation Proclamation. Unfortunately, this relief was short-winded. The Emancipation Proclamation stated that all people who were deemed as slaves, were to be set free from slavery and guaranteed to no return to it. At first glance, this new legislative act appeared to provide endless opportunities for newly freed African Americans. Instead, life after the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation conceived more problems for African Americans than those they possessed during the bondage of slavery. After the Emancipation Proclamation was passed, African Americans faced various issues including a lack of opportunities, an unfair starting point and continuous discrimination.

America was in disarray following the events of the Civil War. Southern economy was in shambles while congress was struggling to find a middle ground between the radical republicans and Lincoln’s lenient policies. Many Southerners faced the aftermath of uprooting their society and their way of life while thousands of newly freed slaves struggled to find a way to support themselves. The country needed a strong leader, however on the 14th of April, 1865 President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in the Ford Theatre in Washington (Farmer). Without the man that had once held the nation together, the country now faced an enormous obstacle; reconstructing American economics, politics and social life.

History helps shape the future and what we can learn from it to make sure that we do not repeat the same mistakes. During Reconstruction, the country was trying to make amends after the war was over. The country needed to find a way to mend a broken nation because it was divided. The main issue during reconstruction was the status of African Americans because they wanted their civil rights, but could not get that. The question that needs to be answered is: who did the most to aid the cause of African American during Reconstruction, and why? Many organizations and people helped African Americans, but the Freedman’s Bureau did the most.

American Reconstruction began in 1865 at the end of the civil war. The period's main focus was to rebuild the country after war by enacting and changing many key pieces of legislature in the American government. One divisive factor that needed to be addressed was how much representation African Americans deserved in America. During the reconstruction period, African American rights were extended through various new amendments and working opportunities, however, these rights did not last long as they were undermined by black codes and sharecropping.

“And a whole clan named Blackbuck, who always gathered in the corner and flipped up their noses like goats at whosoever came near.” (p.49) another setting described in the novel is New York City, a ‘mixing pot’ of all of the social classes. But also the setting for Tom and Myrtle’s apartment “The living room was crowded to the doors with a set of tapestried furniture entirely too large for it” (p.25). This is in contrast to an upper classes house for example “A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in at one end, and out at the other like pale flags” (p.10) because this quote is explaining the proximity of space within the house, unlike Tom and Myrtle’s apartment which is ‘crowded’ and ‘furniture entirely too large’ it shows what money can buy, i.e. if you are upper class and have more money then you can buy a ‘oversized’ house, but if you are of the lower class then you can only afford a ‘crowded’ and compact house/apartment.