The Reconstruction of the United States was a time of political controversy following the civil war. Throughout 1863-1877 several plans were put into place in an effort to unify the confederate states back into the union. Part of this process was to give newly freed slaves rights as free men. Some parts of the plan were successful and others were a complete disaster. One of the most infamous fails of the reconstruction era was the black codes. After the civil war the fight of freedom for black men began, but was quickly denied by southern whites who instead developed laws that segregated whites from blacks. The black codes were supported by President Andrew Johnson who was a southern Republican. These codes state that Freed colored men will …show more content…
This action infuriated the Ku-Klux members which led them to murder Senator John W. Stephens. Albion W. Tourgee argues on behalf of all the victims of intimidation and threats. In his letter on Ku Klux KLan activities he mentions the length to which the Klan will go in order to keep African Americans below them and submissive to their satisfaction. The intimidation is so severe in most cases that the abused victims have to resort to begging that no action will be taken against their abusers in fear that the Klan would retaliate and murder their family (Tourgee 1870). Tourgee claims that the government is filled with cowards that take no action against the murder of American citizens. He even states that citizenship in the country was made a privilege instead of a basic right. African Americans at this time were already citizens and should have the same rights to vote for what they believe in without fear of being attacked during their …show more content…
They lived under fear and discrimination and were nowhere near equals to their white employers and intimidators. Not much had changed from the start of the black codes into the ratification of the 15th amendment, except for the increase in violence towards the black community in an attempt to maintain them as an inferior class. Even though the free men now had rights it was as if they were still unable to act upon their political views because of the widespread violence against any white or black man the fought for the advancement of African American rights. The freedoms they were granted were strictly limited, so they would benefit white citizens and retain the newly freed men as laborers without their consent. On paper the reconstruction of the union seemed to be progressing, but in reality the amount of cruelty that forced African American citizens to stay in the shadows proved that the nation was quickly failing in their attempts of a
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.
Reconstruction is the period of rebuilding the south that succeeded 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 South was drowning in poverty. To worsen the situation there were thousands of ex-slaves that were set free by the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13 Amendment. "All these ex-slaves", Dr. Susan Walens commented, "and no place to put them," The ex-slaves weren't just homeless but they had no rights, unlike white man. The government and congress had to solve the issues present in the south and the whole nation
Reconstruction was a period of time after the Civil War (1865-1877) that was supposed to be the rebuilding of America. It was also the process used to readmit all the Confederate states back into the Union. There was controversy, however, on how to go about rebuilding the nation. Abraham Lincoln proposed a lenient plan. After he was assassinated, Andrew Johnson proposed a very similar plan. The Radical Republicans, a group of legislators that were in favor of freedmen’s rights, were opposed to both plans under “Presidential Reconstruction”. They initiated “Congressional Reconstruction”. Because of the conflicting views, there was little cooperation between the Executive and Legislative branches. This lead to many unsuccessful
After the Civil War, the southern whites were extremely resentful and bitter. In 1865 the southern states began issuing “black codes,” which were laws made subsequent to the Civil War that had the effect of limiting the civil rights and civil liberties of blacks. This term tends to refer to the legislation passed by southern states to control the labor, migration, and other activities of newly freed slaves. When the slaves were freed, they still had
Reconstruction was a time period of major change in the United States of America for both African Americans and White citizens. After the Civil War, the reconstruction process started out as a failure, but over the years turned into a huge success because of how African Americans were able to live normal lives. Overall, Reconstruction was a success because freedom and growth of equality for African Americans was increased greatly.
The process of rebuilding America after the Civil War from 1865 to 1877, known as the Reconstruction, fell very short of its expectations because of the negative effect it had on relationships within the country. President Lincoln came up with plans for reconstruction, however, Congress believed it was too lenient. After Lincoln’s death and events following regarding Johnson, Congress dominated the government and came up with their own plan that sets the nation up for further disagreement. The plan for Reconstruction as Congress made it, was a failure because of how it divided the government, turned the races against each other, and set up freed slaves for poverty.
Government had brought the seceded Southern states back into the Union, and they ended slavery and they tried their best to protect newly emancipated the slaves. But they rebuilt the nation after a lot more four years of fighting. The reconstruction occurred in 2 phases, the Presidential Reconstruction was very lenient in order Southern states to rejoin the Union quickly, this was initiated by President Lincoln but was carried out by President Andrew Johnson. The Congressional Reconstruction was stricter and protected rights from former slaves and they kept Confederate leaders from regaining power. But, before the Civil War Lincoln proposed his 10% Plan, which was lenient and allowed the Confederate states could re-enter the Union when, 10% of their population had sworn an Oath of Loyalty and they ratified the 13th Amendment ending all slavery. But, the Radicals in Congress had rejected his plan because, it did not protect ex-slaves and didn’t keep them from regaining power, they also wanted to have 50% of the population to swear to an oath of loyalty. But, the states could come back once they ratified the 13th amendment. But, the southern passed black codes in order to keep African- Americans from getting any land, jobs, voting rights, and also protection under the law. Finally, in 1865, the Freedmen's Bureau had been established and offered assistance to former slaves and to protect their new
African American that became a Freedmen are now officially a full United States citizen, but now face with segregation from the white. The government however, help with these problem with the Freedmen Bureau program. The South’s reaction to the Reconstruction that were given out to the North however, felt that their land are being taken by the carpetbaggers from the North for their political and economic gained during the 1863 to 1877. The Reconstruction are still seen overall as both positive and negative because it has had it’s downfall and gain from it. The aftermath of Reconstruction however, allowed blacks many rights that they have never gotten before and it’s a good beginning to Americans and the country as a whole for ending the unholiness of
Reconstruction was the time between 1863 and 1877 when the U.S. focused on abolishing slavery, destroying the Confederacy, and reconstructing the nation and the Constitution and is also the general history of the post-Civil War era in the U.S. between 1865 and 1877. Under Abraham Lincoln, presidential reconstruction began in each state as soon as federal troops controlled most of the state. The usual ending date is 1877, when the Compromise of 1877 saw the collapse of the last Republican state governments in the South
After the Civil War ended – with the submission of Robert E. Lee at the Appomattox Court House – the raging era that followed this conflict was the period of Reconstruction. The Reconstruction Era (1865-1877) was constantly misinterpreted due to politic issues such as: admittance to residency, voting rights, the comparative influences of the national and state administration, the affiliation among political and economic democracy, and the appropriate way to deal with terrorism. During the Reconstruction era, the country’s law and Constitution – convened from May 25 to September 17, 1787 – were revised to assure the basic rights of a former African American slave, and how the Confederacy was conquered due to biracial governments rising to authority, which was, in no doubt, one of the lowest points of national American democracy. By regarding this view, the Radical Republicans – within Congress – were so fixated on punishing beaten Confederates, Southern governments controlled by carpet baggers (dishonorable Northerners who journeyed into the South to obtain the advantages of office) , scalawags (Southern whites who endorsed the system), and African
Reconstruction DBQ Reconstruction was a time after the civil war to help try to rebuild the town that were destroyed and the relationship of the north and south that lasted from 1865 to 1877. After the age of reconstruction ended the whites tried taking back the rights that was given to the blacks during reconstruction through segregation and extremists groups. The reconstruction age ended because of the compromise of 1877. This led to the extremists groups and racial segregation that existed during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s One of the main ways the whites tried to take the rights away from blacks was by a method called segregation which limited what a black could do like certain movie theaters, certain water fountains and even certain schools that were not as well made as white schools because the teachers didn't know how to read to the
Following the Civil War, previous slaves were granted their freedom, after the North's victory. However, the dispute of equality was not settled between the two territories trickling new challenges into a time duration known as the Reconstruction period. Many in the South were unhappy with the results postwar, and created laws and customs to maintain “slavery” or inequality any way they could. Reconstruction succeeded in an extent by transforming how people of color were viewed in society and by law, from being slaves to freedmen and finally to equal members in society.
The effort to rebuild the southern states and restore the Union was known as Reconstruction, a period that lasted from 1865 to 1877. Several different plans for Reconstruction emerged during and after the war. Much debate about differing plans centered on who would control Reconstruction -- the President or Congress.
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.
What is the point of reconstruction? Reconstruction is suppose to bring the Confederate states back into the Union. Reconstruction was also supposed to bring the freedmen into the mainstream of everyday life. The reconstruction of 1863-1877 was not very successful. The reason that reconstruction was not very successful is that the Confederate states were brought in, but the freedmen were only treated good in one of the three stages.