“Reconstruction is the process by which the states that had seceded were reorganized as part of the Union after the Civil War” . This period lasted from 1865-1877 and was mostly evident in the southern states. This was an important time in the history of the United States because it started a discrimination that turned fellow citizens against each other based on their appearances. This went directly against the Constitution which stated, “All Men are Created Equal” which is ironic because the Civil War was started because each side believed they were more constitutional, and the end result was the opposite of constitutional. In the long run, Reconstruction helped black people move closer to accomplishing to the American Dream. But short term,…
Assignment 5: U.S. History to ReconstructionIn 1861 most Southerners thought that the Confederacy was favorite to win the war. The Confederacy’s sheer size – 750,000 square miles – was a major asset, making if difficult to blockade, occupy and conquer. Confederate forces did not have to invade the North: they simply needed to defend. The fire-power of the rifle-musket meant that battlefield tactics now favored the defender. The Union, having no option but to attack, was bound to suffer heavy casualties. Southerners hoped that Northern opinion might come to question high losses. If Northern will collapsed, the Confederacy would win by default. Geography gave the Confederacy an important strategic advantage. In the crucial theatre of the war – North Virginia – a series of rivers provided a barrier to Union armies intent on capturing Richmond, the Confederate capital. Slavery, which might seem to be a Confederate weakness, enabled the South to enlist more of its white manpower than the North.…
The main issue relating to Reconstruction that divided Republicans at the end of the Civil War was that some of the republicans wanted to punish the south and did not want them to return to pre-Civil war ways. The people that wanted this punishment for the South were known as Radical Republicans. The Radical Republicans wanted to punish the South because they caused severe destruction and the loss of many lives. Other Republicans believed that it should have been made simpler for the South to rejoin the Union. If I had been a member of Congress at the time, I would choose Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction plan. The whole idea for their Reconstruction plan was to reunite the nation. It would have just been simpler to let the…
Reconstruction was primarily to reunite the country and to construct a southern society not based on slavery. Since many dilemmas were left after the Civil War, the federal government tried to repair them.(Schultz,2014,275) Although the Reconstruction, era had quite the number of accomplishments, in my opinion, I strongly agree it was a grad failure.…
One of the main problems that the country was facing during Reconstruction was Wartime. President Lincoln issued a Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, which offered Southerners to take an oath of loyalty to the Union and freedom’s legitimacy in December 1863. This idea was known as the Ten Percent Plan. It provided the voting population so they could set up a loyal government. By 1864, Louisiana and Arkansas states recognized a Unionist government. In 1864, congress declined to seat the Unionists voted to the House and Senate from Louisiana and Arkansas (Divine, page 368). A group known as the Radical Republicans wanted black rights protected and therefore would not engage in readmission of southern states. In July 1864, Congress passed…
Discuss the successes and failures of Reconstruction. What Black gains made during Reconstruction were retained despite Democratic redemption of the Southern states? How did economic conditions in the nation, both North and South influence the end of Reconstruction? Characteristics and Impacts of American Reconstruction…
The Reconstruction era, when former Confederate states were integrated back into the Union, followed the end of the brutal and transformative Civil War. Between 1865 and 1877, President Lincoln was assassinated and President Johnson came to power with conflicting opinions resulting in his impeachment, the Constitution underwent major revision with three amendments added to it, there were many efforts to solidify Union control and create equality in the defeated South, however, this ignited a fierce backlash as various terrorist organizations, such as the Ku Klux Klan, engaged in a violent battle to maintain a pre-Civil War society of white power and African American enslavement. Many claimed that “although the North won the Civil War, the South…
During the Reconstruction period, the meaning of freedom became a point of conflict. African-Americans had different notions about freedom than whites because their experiences as slaves shaped the way they perceived freedom. For African-Americans in the South, freedom meant escaping the injustices that went with slavery and having access to all of the opportunities of American citizens. Slaves expressed their newfound freedom in many ways, including religious services without white supervision, formation of mass meeting, and the ability to acquire guns, dogs, and liquor. Southern planters and farmers sought to introduce a different meaning of freedom than slaves, not wanting to accept that freedom meant the same for slaves as it did for whites.…
The Reconstruction was the period during which the United States began to rebuild after the Civil War, lasting from 1865 to 1877. It was to repair the North and the South politically, economically and socially. After the Civil War, the South’s economy was completely ruined and needed help from the Union government; which they were trying to stay way from. The Reconstruction can be evaluated both as a success and a failure. Its successes were the restoration of the eleven confederate states back to the union, giving African-Americans (ex-slaves) their freedom and rights and providing aid to the freed slaves and poor whites. Its failures were the Anti-African Americans groups such as the KKK, the Black Codes, not protecting the rights of the freedmen and the southern corruption. Although African-Americans were freed and gained their rights because of 13th, 14th and 15th amendments, and the ex-eleven confederate states came back to the union, the Reconstruction was more of a failure than a success.…
The “Reconstruction Era” Is the timeframe in United States history from 1865–1877 that was proceeded by the 1861-1864 Civil War. (* Note: many prominent scholars/historians in the last few decades now believe Reconstruction efforts most likely began during the war approx. 1863.) By the end of the Civil war, The Northern Union’s Annihilative Stratagems had eradicated southern crop and plantations, and decimated entire cities.…
By the end of the Civil War, The United States was in a condition of political confusion, social unrest, and economic downfall. The Union had completely destroyed the South’s economy by freeing all slaves within the rebellious states, which resulted in killing many people due to lack of money. So, how far did the Reconstruction Era positively affect the United States government, our country financially, and our country’s class differences. During the Reconstruction Era, former slaves were given the right to become citizens and vote, which contributes to new opinions in The United States government. Also, the Freedmen's Bureau helped the US economy grew with more workers to help manufacture items and prevent white northerners from creating another…
The Reconstruction Period had a positive impact on the United States, because it was the time where it ended slavery. The 13th, 14th and 15th amendments outlawed slavery, defined citizenship and protected all Americans under the law with extended suffrage to all men. They had the right to vote and confederacy was completely demolished. Now ex slaves and African Americans were able to participate in the government for example being governors and senators. The Reconstruction helped improve education for African Americans because it worked for equal rights to rebuild and create schools, hospitals, railroads, and equal buildings.…
Following the Civil War, Radical Republicans in Congress held tight control of the fragile nation, forcing policies past a Southern Democratic President and into law. These Reconstruction programs had a few goals in mind, and many, especially the more moderate, Republicans focused primarily on restoring the Union. Additionally, radicals attempted to grant full civil liberties to former slaves. In general, all pursuing Reconstruction wished to reiterate the unity of the United States, and most, especially from the North, wanted to grant partial civil rights to African Americans. However, in trying to reform the South, while the Northerners did succeed in passing much legislation, they did little to reform culture in the South. Consequently,…
The Reconstruction era of the United States was a time of relief for many. The civil war was finally over and slavery was abolished. Although the norths victory was very much a loss to the south. The thought of paying people for farm work or any kind of work at all was a devastating thought. This lead to radical groups such as the KKK which preyed on the lives of black people. This extreme group threaten the lives of many family’s that thought they were freed from the oppression. The reconstruction period although a time of healing and victory for many was also a time filled with hatred and oppression.…
United States struggled through many issues during a period called The Reconstruction. With problems that came after the Civil war like segregation and unresolved problems with the seceded states. The Reconstruction era brought about repair from the slavery abolishment. The Civil War also caused great deal of pain throughout the states themselves having brought a big deal of hatred towards the North and the South because of their different opinions on views of people. They refused to, “work together,” making it harder to Reconstruct then it should have been. Economics, social, and political impacts forced the Reconstruction to become a bigger deal then it actually should have been, and these are some points on how it turned out like this.…