Reconstruction Argumentative Analysis

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Reconstruction is defined as “the reorganization and reestablishment of the seceded states in the Union after the American Civil War” (Merriam-Webster). After the Civil War, the North was faced with the task of fixing the devastating destruction in the Confederate states. Although the Union’s victory freed about four million slaves, the win started a new set of challenges. Now, it was time to reunite the states.
As an attempt to fix the South, various Reconstruction plans and propositions were proposed. Before the war ended, Abraham Lincoln issued the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction of 1863. It was considered a “compassionate policy for dealing with the South” (“Reconstruction”). The proclamation stated that Southerners could become …show more content…

The Radical Republicans also thought Confederate leaders deserved to be punished for their position in the Civil War. A few leaders, like Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner and Pennsylvania representative Thaddeus Stevens strongly opposed Johnson’s policies. Although some Americans thought the federal government played too big of a role in state affairs, Radicals said that extraordinary times call for direct intervention (“Radical Reconstruction”). In Congressional reconstruction, the view was that blacks should have an opportunity in a free-labor economy. A federal agency, the Freedmen's Bureau, was created to help slaves transition. However, many of its attempts were destroyed, causing the majority of slaves to depend on plantation work. The Radicals in Congress proposed the Civil Rights Bill. Andrew Johnson did not agree with the bills and vetoed both of them. Moderate Republicans were disgusted by Johnson’s racism. The Moderates joined the Radicals to overturn Johnson’s veto, marking the first time a major piece of legislation was overturned. Therefore, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act as a way to limit the President's powers and prevent him from removing Radical Republicans from …show more content…

The Democrats agreed to accept Hayes’ win, as long as federal troops were withdrawn from the region. Congress passed the Compromise of 1877, allowing Louisiana, Florida and South Carolina to be Democratic again, ending Reconstruction.
The federal government that had supported harsh penalties Southern leaders now accepted new and humiliating discrimination against blacks.
Historians judge Reconstruction as a period of political corruption and conflict. Although the slaves were freed, the North failed to address their needs or provide protection from violence. Even though Reconstruction-era governments made progress in rebuilding the South, the South sought to bring down radical regimes. The failure of Reconstruction pushed the equality and freedom of blacks out of focus, until the 20th century when it would become a national issue (“The End

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