African Americans And The Reconstruction Era

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Many individuals imagine greatness and a future of prosperity, but others lack imagination and inspiration causing them to shield many opportunities. An individual with an imagination is an individual with a dream. As Harriet Tubman once said, “I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other.” Whether it was liberty or death, she was determined to fight for what she believed in; even if one’s imagination was limited, that did not stop her because she imagined a life filled with liberty and freedom. This is how many African Americans felt in their quest to fight for equal rights throughout the late 1870s to the early 1970s. Throughout history African Americans conducted many efforts in order to integrate in the white society and acquire civil rights and equality. Black equality began after the Civil war during the Reconstruction period. The Reconstruction Era is where the fight for civil rights began and continued throughout history. The Civil War was a war fought between 1861 and 1865. The war manifested the end of slavery for African Americans. The Union, which consisted of northern states whom favored the abolition of slavery, fought against the Confederate army, which consisted of southern states whom supported slavery. The Civil War is what began the idea of civil rights, but the Reconstruction Era is where civil rights of African Americans came into action. The Reconstruction Era was the rebuilding of the south, but also the beginning of the civil rights movement. Much of Reconstruction dealt with Lincoln and Johnson’s views against the Radical Republicans and congress. Lincoln believed that the Civil War was just a conflict ... ... middle of paper ... ...val when changing their election procedures and authorized the attorney general of the U.S. to send federal examiners to register black voters when he concluded that local registrars were not doing their job (Earle 2000, 123). Through this act, African Americans were given the right to vote and began to become more integrated with the white population. One step at a time, African Americans slowly began to reach equality and their rights as a citizen. Without equality and civil rights, Americans would not acquire the life of liberty they have today. The civil rights agenda for African Americans may not have gone accordingly and exactly how they wanted, but in response to their determination and effort to push for civil rights, an American is no longer determined by race, color, or belief, yet one who is a citizen of the United States of America and one who is equal.

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