The Reconstruction had many good and bad qualities and many different people had separate views on whether it was a success or a failure. During the Reconstruction process, a lot of violence and issues erupted. This caused many problems for the US government. However,I believe that in the long run, Reconstruction has been more of a success than a failure, and has overall made the United States a better country. To begin on a positive note, the successes America gained were many. One of the greater successes was the restoration of the Union. After being separated for 4 years, this Reconstruction restored and reunified what is now the United States. This was a great success because this was one of the main goals of the Reconstruction. President Abraham Lincoln …show more content…
Restoring the South and trying to rebuild its place in the Union cost a lot of money which in turn, increased the amount of tax a person paid. This was considered a failure of Reconstruction because raising taxes caused many people to become upset and even more impoverished. As stated above, the US was experiencing a poverty crisis that proved to be another downside of Reconstruction. During this period, 3 anti-slavery amendments to the constitution were created and passed (numbers 13, 14 and 15) the 13th amendment in particular, completely forbade slavery “within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." (13 amendment) This was extremely difficult for the South, because the plantation owners had invested so much into their
The original purpose of Reconstruction was to restore the buildings and the economy of the south the best they could, but without the immoral element of slavery. But, reconstruction under the Johnson Presidency was a failure for a few reasons: 1) Convict Leasing, 2) Sharecropping, 3) the Ku Klux Klan, 4) Segregation in schools, even in the North, 5) Carpetbaggers/Scalawags, 6) misleading statistics, and 7) racism.
Is Reconstruction Successful? How Do I Get Started? By: Delainey Cuatt. The Reconstruction Era was a period after the Civil War when the United States brought the South back into the Union after the Civil War.
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.
There is no denying that what reconstruction promised was freedom. Freedom for formally enslaved people to have the equal opportunities. The goal of the 13th Amendment was to abolish slavery by making the act of involuntary servitude punishable by law. Slavery had created a social and economic disadvantage which is still considered one of the largest issue that has ever plagued our country. The cotton industry which enslaved the majority of the
True success is only accredited to the Civil Rights Movement while Reconstruction is considered a failure. This is from a multitude of reasons. First, Reconstruction was controlled by the federal government, not by the people. That meant less support and less passion. The Civil Rights Movement, on the other hand, was unofficial, but backed mainly by the people. This led to success as supporters were passionate and would persevere, unlike the government, Next, where the strength lay in both movements was different. In Reconstruction, the North/Republicans had military might, which wasn’t as effective as the force of reason and logic, used during the Civil Rights Movement. The ideals were stronger than any military could be. Lastly, the Civil Rights Movement wasn’t a deliberate push, a last stand, but rather a careful, planned movement, unlike Reconstruction, which was hastily done. This led to a great contrast in
Both Civil War and Reconstruction should be considered as a success because two important Civil War achievements outweighed its failures: destruction of slavery, which challenged ideas about citizenship, and openness of new doors of opportunity for women, which challenged traditional women roles and two important Reconstruction achievements that outweighed Reconstruction’s failures: the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, which produced positive changes in American political and racial relations.
The main purpose of Reconstruction was to unite the sates to the union and restore the south. The Federal Government wanted to put in order all the problems that were caused by the Civil War. (Schultz,275) Backed up by facts, in my opinion, I believe Reconstruction was a failure.
Reconstruction had achieved much despite its obvious weaknesses. Schools that were built to provide education for both blacks and poor whites, the roads constructed, the protection given to life, an property were all indeed major achievements of the government (Pink Monkey).
One of the events that best expresses the reconstruction period has to be the abolishing of slavery through Congress's ratifying of the Thirteenth Amendment on December 18, 1865. After years of civil war and struggle throughout the entire nation, finally a progress had been made on a human level. While at the same time the animosity would still be felt as "Black Codes" were adopted by midwestern states to regulate or inhibit the now freed african americans ability
The Civil War caused mass destruction in the South as the Northern troops won battles and gained power over the south, they destroyed everything in their path. After the Civil War, the south had started to rebuild. This time period was called Reconstruction. Reconstruction was a hard time in the South as the price of land was cheap and the price of crops was very low. As a result, many of the southerners were poor. One group of people who were in danger of losing a large amount of money during Reconstruction were slave owners, as the end of the Civil War freed all of the African Americans from slavery. African Americans were greatly effected by Reconstruction. Reconstruction effected African Americans greatly because they gained new political
In the South, slaves were the main form of revenue because most Southerners owned plantations that needed slaves to work in the fields to be maintained. Once the 13th and 14th amendments were passed, the Southern way of life changed and as a result it was destroyed economically and socially. Congress even decided that there would be no compensation for any lost slave property. The Southerners carry a bitter resentment towards both Northerners and the newly freed blacks. The Freedman’s Bureau was set up to help integrate blacks into society and to help them realize their freedom, but their only success was in education. Because of the bitterness now sparked between the white landowners and the freed slaves, the whites begin to try to find ways that they can still remain superior and maintain control over the black
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 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.
Throughout the South, people were emotionally exhausted and many lives had been shattered. Mississippi spent a fifth of its annual budget on artificial limbs for Confederate soldiers. Many southerners including whites and blacks, were homeless and hungry. Emancipation wiped out billions invested in slavery, which had enabled the explosive growth of the cotton culture for the South. As the economy of the cotton market in the South died, tobacco reduced its production along with sugar power and old rice industries plummeting. Due to the low level economy, it lead to massacres and riots. Massacres of African Americans in Memphis and New Orleans helped motivate Congress to pass the 14th amendment. The 14th amendment extended federal civil rights to protect blacks. Violence directed against southern blacks sparked by black protests over restrictive laws being passed by the new all white southern state legislatures. Black codes were passed in the South, intended to
After the North won the civil war, it was time to rebuild this nation. This period of reconstruction was supposed to have a profound change on society. Unfortunately this was not the case. Reconstruction did not fundamentally alter this nation. Not to say that nothing happened, but nothing that really made a change or difference happened. First, the control of the south was given right back to the planter elite. Also, even though slavery was abolished; blacks were not free. Finally, Congress and President Johnson could not get along. Although the civil war reshaped this country profoundly. The reconstruction efforts did little but scratch a surface, before being quickly wiped away.