Reconstruction Dbq

During the period of Reconstruction (1865-1877) in the Southern United States local government positions had been taken over by the Republican Party. Through local militants and, what can be deemed by today standards, terrorist by the mid 1870’s many of these Republican office holders had been run out of town. These local militants also used intimidation to keep blacks from voting in the south. By doing these acts the Southern Democrats soon regained control of political power in the south and would start striping away rights of the black community. Once Democrats were back in power intimidation was no longer needed to keep blacks from voting, they set up some of the first laws that were specifically deemed to restrict the civil liberties of

In section three of the First Reconstruction act in an article from the teaching American history website, it states

The Freedman’s Bureau can educate and protect the former slaves. The U.S. Congress will finally try their hardest to fulfill the promises which were made to the slaves which were to be education, given citizenship, a portion of the land and political standing. Which were vetoed by President Johnson.

Reconstruction The end of Civil War in 1877 when the last federal troops were pulled out of the South is known as Reconstruction. Although the process could not begin to the end of war, attempts at restoring the war began long before. The Civil War was the most bitter war, it has been called the brother’s war, or the “War of Northern Aggression.” Over 600,000 Americans died during the Civil War and another 400,000 suffered wounds.

After the war has ended the Reconstruction period began in 1863, a new era where enhancement and change is witnessed. A stronger nation was forming. The plan was first announced by president Abraham Lincoln in purpose of unifying the South and resolving issues such as slavery. However throughout this period only certain aspects were successful in restoring peace and contentment in the states. To begin with, the Thirteenth Amendment approved and released by Lincoln in February 1865 officially abolished slavery and founded its final solution. Yet the discrimination against African Americans did not end here. Following the president’s assassination, Andrew Johnson took position and introduced the period of Presidential Reconstruction . His first great accomplishment was the establishment of Freedmen’s Bureau passed in 1865. The program provided aid to 4 million newly freed slaves in the South and to poor whites also. It built hospitals and gave medical care to millions of freedmen.

Though the Civil War ended slavery, the results after it were catastrophic; the South had been left in ruins and the North was disinterested in continuing to reach out to the South. The Civil War occurred in the early 1861 and ended in 1865. Post Civil War life was tough, and both sides were at fault for this. Reconstruction had failed because the North had neglected its duties to help the South and a majority of the South did not want help from the North.

After four prolonged years of the Civil War that took place in America the nation transpired broken, and required much need of being rebuilt into a nation of one. The newly freed slaves, after the Civil War, moved to different cities, freed slaves built Black churches and communities; they were capable of attending school, and even became more involved in politics. With this new found freedom many documents, agencies, and associations also arose such as: the Freedmen’s Bureau, the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, and the Black Codes. These documents and organizations played important roles during the Reconstruction Era. Arguably, the Reconstruction Era in America was extremely restrained. African Americans gained basic rights as humans, but given the bare

The Congressional Reconstruction aimed at blocking Johnson’s lenient policy. Two bills were passed by Congress to “counteract Southern resistance and the oppression of freedmen” (Keene, 416). The first bill was Freedmen’s Bureau, which expanded its powers and continued for two more years (Keene, 416). The Civil Rights Act was the second, which declared citizens as those born in the United States (Keene, 416). Both periods of Reconstruction are equally

Abraham Lincoln once said, “By these recent successes the re-inauguration of the national authority – reconstruction – which has had a large share of thought from the first, is pressed much more closely upon our attention. It is fraught with great difficulty.” (Fitzgerald 4) Abraham Lincoln was right, Reconstruction was full of hardships. The Civil War ended in 1865 and created a split in the North and South. The South had to rejoin the Union. Lincoln, Johnson, and Congress all wanted a different plan for Reconstruction. Although Reconstruction ended in 1877, its legacy lived on to present day.

During the reconstruction era the united stated faced many challenge in rebuilding the nation. When African America and white citizens where fighting between each other homes and farms were destroyed. People also kill farm animals. The temperature of the crops, that come from agriculture fell below normal. Those problems were challenge in rebuilding the nation.

The Freedman’s Bureau lasted for only seven years, and with the northerners “waving the bloody shirt,” the southerners just wanted them to get out of their territory. The reconstruction finally ended with the Compromise of 1877. With this compromise, a Republican became president, even though the Democratic candidate won, and the northerners left the southern lands. The plantations began to go under without the free labor, and the newly freed slaves were homeless with no money or place to live. With some begging, Andrew Jackson agreed to give the plantation owners their land back. The former slaves returned to their plantations and now tried sharecropping. Against their liking, the children had to continue working the fields. Things continue this way until the Civil Rights Movement many years later.

The condition of the South was poor, majority of the battles were fought in the South which caused it to destroy the lands, crops,roads and infrastructure. Most of the male populations fought the war and they were left with women with children. At the time all slaves were free; they couldn’t depend on slaves or men to help make the crops better , which caused no money was coming in for the families of the south. Reconstruction was needed because, we as a country needed to fix this problem.That’s when Lincoln came with the 10% plan. He needed 10% of the south's population to readmit the union. John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln and the North lashes out with anger towards the south. The first success in reconstruction was the 13th,

Many things were put into play to ensure true reconstruction for both the states and Blacks. Leading up to the Reconstruction Lincoln put into play a couple of things. Pre reconstruction was created just before the reconstruction era to some plans into place to ensure full usage of the reconstruction era. some plans put into place to consisted of the Emancipation Proclamation and the ten percent plan. Programs and place that were put into place during the Reconstruction era included the forty acres, Freedmen 's bureau was established, freedmen 's savings bank was created, the pardons policy was created, the 13th amendment is ratified. It was the 1st of December in the year of 1865 that President Andrew Johnson declares the reconstruction act complete. Although Johnson declared it to be the end of reconstruction many movements followed ensuring the best outcome for the era, there also movements that were created in resistance to what the civil war stood for, The end of the war resulted in the the growth of the south, the founding of Ku Klux Klan, the civil rights bill was passed, racial violence increases, state 's returned to the union, and many more.

The surrender of the confederate army brought an end to the civil war and the beginning of reconstruction. The country was divided with the newly freed slaves and the rebellious white southerners all attempting to be reintegrated back into the Union. The man America leaned on to help them was the same man who led the Union through the civil war, Abraham Lincoln. Although, on April 15, 1865, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. While fleeing the seen Booth can be heard shouting “the south is avenged!” The division in the country was monumental and the man that could lead America through it was gone. After Lincoln 's assassination, his Vice President Andrew Johnson took office. Jackson was a racist southern Democratic Unionist.

After the devastation of the Civil War there were many different opinions about how the United States was to become one nation again. Reconstruction was the period after the Civil War when former Confederate states were brought back into the Union. During this time period, the South was hostile because they were upset about the emancipation of slaves, the major decline in its economy, and the destruction of its territory. There were also now freed African Americans trying to integrate into a society which they had known only as slaves. The major objectives for this period of Reconstruction were to bring freed people into the Union, repay the South for the damage caused by the Civil War, and to reunite the Union. The failure of Reconstruction was a result of limitations to changes in the Constitution, lack of opportunities for freed African Americans, and the use of print media to continue stereotypes and portray biases against others.