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Reconstruction after the end of the American Civil War
The end of the civil war
American reconstruction
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After the conclusion of the Civil War that ended in 1865, slavery was abolished and of course with the victory from the Union, America was now a nation again. Although America was together as one, still, the north and the south had different views of approaching the way of life regarding to “ex-slaves”. During the post war, it lead America to a time called the Reconstruction era(1863-1877) where mainly the southern states of America learned to refigure out their new lifestyles without owning slaves. As you can imagine after losing a war, the former Confederates faced many problems during the aftermath of the battles. Families were lost and destroyed, the southern lands were a state of chaos due to the massive destruction of the fighting, emancipation of slaves occurred, money was lost due to their property being destroyed, and of course, …show more content…
The Freedman Bureau in 1865 was formed by Congress, which was a plan to help the transition of ex-slaves from slavery, to freedom. School, jobs, shelter, and protection from ex-masters were provided. In 1866, Congress also passed the Civil Rights act, which affirmed the equal rights of all US citizens. However, the response to this act was very violent, especially from the Ku-Klux-Klan. They targeted blacks, especially males with their notorious acts. They would catch a man at night and give him an option, get castrated and live, or be lynched. In 1867, the Reconstruction Act was passed, it divided the South into five military districts, forming martial law in the area. Also, in order to vote, one must prove they did not support the Confederacy. The Fifteenth Amendment of 1870 was up next which stated that any person born in the USA is a citizen without regards to race, color, or previous conditions. In 1871, the Enforcement Act was set to target the KKK, in hopes to investigate them, break them, and eventually prosecute
“Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” George Santayana stated what happens if we do not learn from our past. After the Civil War the United States wanted to build itself back up. The nation was in rubble because half of the country was fighting the other. That left it in a sad and fallen state. The issue of slavery was a long debated topic. They thought they could get over this and start anew. Reconstruction means the actions or process of rebuilding what has been damaged or destroyed. Did the North or the South kill Reconstruction? That issue is still up for debate. In my opinion, the South killed Reconstruction and stopped it dead in its tracks. The South did not respect the African American’s right to vote and would terrorize
After the Civil War, America went through a period of Reconstruction. This was when former Confederate states were readmitted to the Union. Lincoln had a plan that would allow them to come back, but they wouldn’t be able to do it easily. He would make 10% of the population swear an oath of loyalty and establish a government to be recognized. However, he was assassinated in Ford’s Theater and Andrew Johnson became the president; Johnson provided an easy path for Southerners. Congress did their best to ensure equal rights to freedmen, but failed because of groups who were against Reconstruction, white southern Democrats gaining control within the government and the lack of having a plan in place for recently freedmen.
In order to unite the nation, intense dispute had aroused. Through various laws both African Americans and ex-Confederates were affected by the reconstruction period. Although the Reconstruction Era had gained a negative legacy, the ratification of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were a breakthrough in the life of African Americans. The continuous development of polices was to reach the intended goal that the Reconstruction Era was sought for, to unify the United States of
In the words of President Abraham Lincoln during his Gettysburg Address (Doc. A), the Civil War itself, gave to our Nation, “a new birth of freedom”. The Civil War had ended and the South was in rack and ruin. Bodies of Confederate soldiers lay lifeless on the grounds they fought so hard to protect. Entire plantations that once graced the South were merely smoldering ash. The end of the Civil War and the abolishment of slavery, stirred together issues and dilemmas that Americans, in the North and South, had to process, in hopes of finding the true meaning of freedom.
After the ending of the Civil War in 1865, slavery was, at last, formally abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment. Due to the freedom of these African Americans and the South’s ever-growing hatred towards this group, African Americans were left to suffer harsh discrimination and horrible conditions. Africans Americans were left without homes, education, jobs, or money. Reconstruction was the Radical Republicans’ attempt to try and bring the Confederate states back to normal and unite both the South and the North into a whole country once again. Reconstruction was also set to protect and help the newly freed African Americans assimilate to the new society and the foreign economy they were placed in. Conditions of the African Americans in the South before, during, and after the reconstruction period were no doubt harsh. African Americans, before the Reconstruction Era, struggled to assimilate with the hateful society they were thrown in, if not still slaves. Although their condition improved slightly, African Americans during the reconstruction period experienced extreme terrorism, discrimination, pressure, and hatred from the south, along with the struggle of keeping alive. After the military was taken out of the South, African Americans’ condition after the Reconstruction Era relapsed back as if Reconstruction never happened.
The souths conditions after the war were horriable, as if there wasnt a south to even begin with. After the civil war the land was in ruins and destroyed by the north, William Techumseh Sherman had burned everything from the Mississippi to the Georgia coast committing rampant war crimes along the way and even burned Atlanta to the ground! Confederate currency was useless, which led to banks being pointless even though they were already ruined. Then there wasnt any law or authority, many slaves ran and became free which lossed in total at least two billion dollars worth and governments bassicly vanquished.
During the time of reconstruction, the 13th amendment abolished slavery. As the Nation was attempting to pick up their broken pieces and mend the brokenness of the states, former slaves were getting the opportunity to start their new, free lives. This however, created tension between the Northerners and the Southerners once again. The Southerners hated the fact that their slaves were being freed and did not belong to them anymore. The plantations were suffering without the slaves laboring and the owners were running out of solutions. This created tension between the Southern planation owners and the now freed African Americans. There were many laws throughout the North and the South that were made purposely to discriminate the African Americans.
The Civil War marked a defining moment in United States history. Long simmering sectional tensions reached critical when eleven slaveholding states seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America. Political disagreement gave way to war as the Confederates insisted they had the right to leave the Union, while the loyal states refused to allow them to go. Four years of fighting claimed almost 1.5 million casualties, resulting in a Union victory. Even though the North won the war, they did a horrible job in trying to win the peace, or in other words, the Reconstruction era. Rather than eliminating slavery in the South, the Southerners had a new form of slavery, which was run by a new set of codes called "Black Codes”. With the help of President Johnson, the South continued their plantations, in essence becoming exactly what they were before the war. Overall, the South won Reconstruction because in the end they got slavery (without the name), they got an easy pass back into the Union, and things reverted back to the way they had been prior the war.
Prior to the Civil War, African Americans were treated as second class individuals. They lacked the freedom and equality they sought for. To the African Americans, the Civil War was a war of liberation. Contrary to what African Americans perceived, Southerners viewed the war as an episode of their journey to salvation. Southern lands may have been destroyed and depleted, but the South was persistent that their racial order would not be disrupted. To most, the goals of the Reconstruction era were to fully restore the Union, and to some, grant emancipation and liberty to former slaves. Although the newly freedmen gained various rights and liberties, their naïve dreams of complete equality and liberation collapsed due to the immense resistance of the South.
These laws, known as the Enforcement Acts, were criminal codes which protected African American rights in terms of voting, holding a position in office, receiving equal protection of laws. Enforcement Act of May 1870 prohibited groups of people from banding together with the intention of violating citizens’ constitutional rights. The Senate passed two more acts, also known as the Ku Klux Klan acts, aimed to enforce the Fourteenth Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The Second Force Act, approved in February 1871, empowered federal judges and United States marshals to supervise local polling places. The act also placed administration of national elections under the control of the government. Eventually, the Third Force Act became law in April 1871 and it allowed the president to authorize armed forces to combat those who cause violence due to racist ideas. The new laws weakened the Ku Klux Klan and the violence declined in the South. This showed that the government was finally willing to take action and changed the expectations of African Americans when they felt hopeless. The series of acts temporarily puts an end to the brutality, but the end of Reconstruction allowed for a return of deprivation of rights for African Americans (“Landmark
After four hard-fought years of the deadliest war on American soil, the Union, led by President Abraham Lincoln, defeated the Confederacy, led by President-elect Jefferson Davis. The victory of the Union resolved the matter regarding the freedom of slaves, but along came the concern of the future status of four million newly freed slaves. The United States was divided, and in response, Congress passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867. Even with the best efforts put into the Reconstruction Act of 1867, it ultimately failed in its quest and ended ten years after in 1877. What remained was the issue regarding the status of African Americans and the South’s economy.
The Civil War was meant to end slavery in the United States, but the victory could not keep prejudiced feelings and beliefs away. The newly freed African Americans who lived in the South ...
With the end of the Civil war in 1865, the new nation of the United States now faced challenges on restoring peace within the Union. The North, having won the civil war, now faced the task to implement reconstruction of the South. They came in contact with the questions of: What should happen to the freed slaves, should the freed slaves have rights, what should be done to the Confederate leaders, and how should the South be reconstructed? There were many different ideas and views on how Reconstruction should be handled, but only one succeeded more successfully than the other. Although they bear some superficial similarities, the difference between presidential and congressional reconstruction are clear. The president believed that Confederate
Following the Civil War, government efforts to allow Southern states to reenter the Union created a social and political upheaval in the South. In 1867, the South was divided into five districts under federal jurisdiction and military protection. In the following years, blacks, with strong federal support, made tremendous economic, social, and political strides. Black and white Republicans worked together to create public education systems and sponsored infrastructural improvements in the South. The newly formed Freedmen’s Bureau also worked to reconnect families – one of the strongest desires of freedmen after the Civil War. Furthermore, Reconstruction gave blacks a real taste of political power; a small number of blacks were even elected into government. Post-war amendments radically transformed the South as well: slavery was abolished, blacks were granted citizenship, and they were promised
The ex-slaves after the Civil War didn’t have a place to settle or money. They had no skills other than farming to procure jobs, so they couldn’t earn money. Freedmen’s Bureau provided shelter, resources, education, and taught necessary skills to get jobs (Jordan 386). Though the issue of slavery was solved, racism continues and Southerners that stayed after the war passed Black Codes which subverted the ideas of freedom including the actions of state legislatures (Hakim 19). Black Codes were a set of laws that discriminated against blacks and limited their freedom (Jordan 388).