Explain How Promising Was The Period Of Reconstruction For African Americans
How promising was the period of Reconstruction for African Americans?
There are varying historic interpretations of the period of Reconstruction and whether it proved promising for African Americans. Some historians such as William A. Dunning suggest that the southerners were the victims of Reconstruction and a growing population of African Americans formulated ‘Negro Rule’ whereas others contradict this with the Post-Revisionists claiming that the period was ‘non-revolutionary’ and conservative in terms of black independence.
It can be argued that Reconstruction was promising as under the 14th Amendment it was stated that all persons born or naturalised in the USA should be regarded as citizens and be guaranteed equality before the law. This was highly significant and promising for African Americans as it meant that they would have the same rights as white Americans …show more content…
An example of this is the Civil Rights Act of 1875 which had intended to prohibit segregation of public places but was never enforced. It appeared to be an act by Congress to control Southern politics, but by the time it was passed the Senate was no longer interested with punishing the Southern states. In addition to this, America’s new President, Ulysses S. Grant, chose to abandon the repressive policies toward the South and the act was eventually thrown out in 1883. This not only meant that segregation continued to exist but also highlights the social injustice as the Southern states were not punished for their actions against the blacks. Current historians interpret the period of Reconstruction believe that race and class were linked. African Americans were often regarded as inferior or second class citizens due to their lack of wealth and status and that racism was an addition to this. These historians also state that the southern class system had changed as labourers now had more political
There are varying historic interpretations of the period of Reconstruction and whether it proved promising for African Americans. Some historians such as William A. Dunning suggest that the southerners were the victims of Reconstruction and a growing population of African Americans formulated ‘Negro Rule’ whereas others contradict this with the Post-Revisionists claiming that the period was ‘non-revolutionary’ and conservative in terms of black independence.
It can be argued that Reconstruction was promising as under the 14th Amendment it was stated that all persons born or naturalised in the USA should be regarded as citizens and be guaranteed equality before the law. This was highly significant and promising for African Americans as it meant that they would have the same rights as white Americans …show more content…
An example of this is the Civil Rights Act of 1875 which had intended to prohibit segregation of public places but was never enforced. It appeared to be an act by Congress to control Southern politics, but by the time it was passed the Senate was no longer interested with punishing the Southern states. In addition to this, America’s new President, Ulysses S. Grant, chose to abandon the repressive policies toward the South and the act was eventually thrown out in 1883. This not only meant that segregation continued to exist but also highlights the social injustice as the Southern states were not punished for their actions against the blacks. Current historians interpret the period of Reconstruction believe that race and class were linked. African Americans were often regarded as inferior or second class citizens due to their lack of wealth and status and that racism was an addition to this. These historians also state that the southern class system had changed as labourers now had more political