Preview

Failure Of Reconstruction

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1136 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Failure Of Reconstruction
The civil war brought a social welfare shift in societal opinions and policies as the Reconstruction era and the Freedmen’s Bureau emerged. Upon gaining freedom, former slaves faced troubling times getting work, housing and access to resources even as soldier’s due to their race. The Freedmen’s Bureau was established to deal with transient blacks and managing property that was confiscated or abandoned. The black codes practiced among southern states except for Tennessee limited black’s rights; they were denied many of the rights and resources that whites had as citizens of the US and were criminalized for being poor (Stern & Axinn, 2018).
As discussed by Stern & Axinn (2018), blacks faced extreme poverty being displaced by their newly acquired
…show more content…
Public Health Service, and began regulating food and drugs, in addition to creating a pension program for Civil War veterans and their dependents or survivors. Unfortunately, Reconstruction was considered a failure which was followed by the upsurge of the Charitable Organization movement which considered the poor as being a result of individual behaviors of human weakness. The Settlement House movement developed soon after as a means of overcoming the spiritual and social depreciation by blending underprivileged with privileged in order to create a community atmosphere that would hopefully motivate and inspire individuals to better themselves. These movements similarly looked down upon the underprivileged with apprehension. Charitable Organizations divided the poor with discriminating labels such as the worthy and unworthy poor. Those who engaged in unworthy behavior such as substance abuse and criminal activities were less likely to receive assistance. The Settlement House reformers approached poverty as being an effect from one’s social environment whereby changing the surroundings would lift individuals up to socially acceptable norms by example. In any event, the social work profession began to …show more content…
123). The Charity Organization and Settlement House movements leaders joined forces to facilitate the need for social reform. The family was deemed “the unit of social order” and an effort for the moral improvement of individuals was designed into a program of education beginning in the home then continuing into the school (Stern & Axinn,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Among the disenfranchisement, Black people were discriminated against throughout the South through a series of ‘Black codes’. The Black codes were aimed to keep free Blacks as second-class citizens. Black codes regulated all activities and behavior of Black people. Free Blacks were prohibited from basic constitutional rights of assembling in groups, bearing arms, learning to read and write, free speech or to testify against white people in court. Black codes also restricted Backs to own property, conduct business, buy and lease land, and move freely through public spaces. The codes also criminalized Black men who were out of work or who were not working at a job whites recognized. These legalized discrimination laws kept the subordination of Blacks and maintained white supremacy throughout the South and rest of the…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Reconstruction - basically means rebuilding something after it has fallen and making it stronger than it was. Freed slaves and abolished slavery, which gave the former slaves the right to vote. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. The negative effects, it failed to eliminate problems between the north and south. The Jim Crowe laws were passed. How the Compromise of 1877 ended the reconstruction? The Republicans abandoned reconstruction in the south. After the compromise the troops were removed from the…

    • 81 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The reconstruction was a success in an outline as it restored the north and south states as a unified nation. However, the reconstruction plan did not go far and deep enough to address the political, economic, and social problems. Reconstruction failed to emerge the southern states into one central government. The radical republicans blamed believed that the confederate leaders should be punished for it. The north and south were hardly on talking relationships.…

    • 277 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Each of the four articles portrayed a different explanation for why Reconstruction did not work out as planned by the United States Government. Thomas W. Wilson’s article reveals that the government preyed upon the South. Carter Woodson asserts that former slaves were not given a fair chance to make Reconstruction work, while Thomas Bailey blames the Radicals for pushing it on clueless, former slaves. Finally, Mary Beth Norton takes issue with the resistance of Reconstruction that the South held from the beginning. While each tells a varied story of their interpretation of why it failed, all agree that indeed, Reconstruction failed. Thus, former slaves were not given a fair chance to reconstruct their lives and the Southern states could…

    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Another transformation that happened in the Progressive Era was the status of women. In the late 19th century, middle-class women created settlement houses in poor and urban neighborhoods, so they could carry out reform work in the surrounding neighborhoods. As these houses grew and evolved, settlement house workers started lobbying local, state, and national governments to pass reform legislation like minimum wage, workplace safety standards, and sanitation regulations. These settlement houses gave women a setting where they could do sociological research and have meetings, but also provided them with healthcare and childcare services, and even educational classes. Ultimately, settlement house workers were able to convince the governments…

    • 272 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Reconstruction was the period of time after the Civil War where rebuilding after the war and segregation were a huge part of the American culture. The rebuilding of the U.S. was a vital part of our countries history and showed how well we handle situations such as slavery. The United States basically took free slaves and segregated them so they would never be in the contact or presence of whites. The chosen president for our important time of need was the worst decision they could have made at that time. Reconstruction started dangerous riots and clans and caused the rebuild process to be a complete failure.…

    • 106 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    After the civil war the south was in ruins. Since the north used the total war tactic the south was destroyed. Homes and infrastructure were destroyed, agriculture was blown up and destroyed, and disease was spreading everywhere, causing people to die from hunger, disease, and poverty. Post – civil war in the south for the African Americans were especially bad. Being that most African Americans were refugees, homeless, or separated from family due to slavery, were lost, not knowing what to do next. As you can tell, the south was a complete mess after the civil war. The south at this time did not have the resources they needed to reconstruct the infrastructure (bridges, buildings, and roads) and land by themselves, they needed serious help from the north. The need for reconstruction was outrageous, they needed to make this an organized reconstruction so it wasn’t complete chaos from start to finish. Reconstruction was necessary in order to making to politically bring the south back onto the union and make them states again. Also, reconstruction was necessary to make African Americans equal citizens.…

    • 625 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As America moved into the 19th century following the Revolution and the establishment of the Constitution and a United States, there was a movement to bring about more humane treatment for youth. In 1816, a group of influential citizens, including the Quaker educator John Griscom, organized the Society for the Prevention of Pauperism (SPP). This society, which operated in cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, focused on “ragged and uncleanly” youth, who used “vile language,” and who were idle and had “miserable habits” (Hart, 1832, p. 13). These children were encouraged to be dishonest and the concern of the influential citizens was that in due time these young people would become “responsible to the law for their crimes” (Hart,…

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Failure of Reconstruction

    • 1777 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Reconstruction was the period from 1865-1877 where the government of the United States tried to put the country together again after the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln lived briefly during this period (assassinated) and set the template for reconstruction. The Vice President Andrew Johnson who is described as lacking Lincoln’s moral sense and political judgment, became President and followed the template while adding his own ideas to it. During Johnson’s presidency reconstruction proved to be a hardship that was difficult to establish in a way where everyone could be happy. Although reconstruction succeeded in achieving things that wasn’t before, ultimately it was a failure and a monumental disaster. In general, many consider it an ineffective attempt for a number of reasons.…

    • 1777 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ruins of lives and buildings, shattered by the process of war and what it came from, held together by the promise of victory. Hope, however, did not affect the South’s fate. Confederates lost the battle and the government did not affirm the rights they so desired. War has left every life decimated. Newly freed men and white plantation owners, alike, find it difficult to adapt to a world without slavery. The Civil War left no man unscathed.…

    • 1316 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The end of the Civil war in the year 1865 gave about four million slaves their freedom. However, the process of rebuilding the south during this era provided so many challenges that the country faced. The president, Andrew Johnson, and his administration had introduced legislation restriction “black codes” with the aim of controlling the behavior of former slaves and…

    • 473 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The South suffered a great blow in the hands of the Civil war. The result was a social unrest characterized by political chaos, economic digression, and social dysfunction. The war was so severe that it led to the complete destruction of the South’s crops and plantations as well as entire cities. Moreover, the slaves held within the region took advantage of the Union army invasion t flee their masters. These factors contributed to the increased inflation of prices for basic needs as the Southerners sought for means to sustain them. For instance, food commodities were being sold for as much as double their initial prices due to their scarcity. Eventually, several southerners died of hunger while others lost their properties…

    • 229 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Failure Of Reconstruction

    • 890 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Reconstruction in the United States was very important after the civil war. The civil war was very important because it led to the freeing of slaves. During this time many new changes occurred. Reconstruction meant that things were being built and things like agriculture started to take over industries around the south. After the confederates lost the civil war most them had to rejoin the union and things got more complicated from there. But as time progressed a lot of things took place. Now that the war was over the reconstruction period had many effects on the people, the economy and society in many ways, some were a great success and most were failures.…

    • 890 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Failure Of Reconstruction

    • 1286 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The North, when left with only slavery to defend, and no economic benefit, would abandon blacks to fend for themselves. Although there were some problems with implementation, with results like healthcare, resettlement of the displaced, education and the founding of schools, like Howard University and Fiske University “there is no doubt that the Freedmen’s Bureau relieved much suffering among blacks and whites. ”(Franklin and Moss,”From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans”) In spite of all black’s positive in the South due to the support of the Freedmen’s Bureau sadly, its services ended in 1869. Economic dependency, and widespread violence from white supremacists, and Northerners retreat from the ideals of equality doomed the Freedmen’s…

    • 1286 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Social Worker Response

    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The first role concerns direct help to impoverished families and was the primary role of social workers in the mid- and late-19th century. In this role, social workers targeted nearby impoverished families by providing them with food and finances. This approach can be characterized as being neighborhood-by-neighborhood and was rarely national or even regional. Social workers tended to help those people who lived close to them or whom they knew. The second role of social workers at this time was to attempt to better understand why poverty levels were as high as they were. They, thus, approached poverty from almost a sociological standpoint, attempting to trace the origins of poverty in their social structures, rather than attempting to understand why particular people were impoverished as psychologists and other would later do. The role of the social worker as researcher was much more prevalent in the 20th century than in the 19th century, especially before other disciplines arose in the mid- and late-20th…

    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays