Civil War Reconstruction
explanatory Essay
2132 words
After the Civil war, Reconstruction started. The reconstruction years of America served as transitions for the social, economical, cultural, and political aspects of society. Throughout this time, the United States of America shifted into a a modern industrial nation. This shift was led by entrepreneurs and businessmen. Industrialism eventually would make America into an economical and technological front runner in the world scope. During this time, American industry grew faster than ever before. While this caused cities and urban areas to spread, it also increased the pace of and therefore the stress of life. This consequence did not seem to have much an effect because during this time, it was the age of progress. Material comfort could potentially be achieved by anyone and everyone(or so it was thought). Industrialism brought many great positives to American society, but where there are positives, there are also negatives. Exploitation in industry ran rampant. Monopolies and laissez-faire policies were being exercised. As a result of this, people began to question the purpose of government. Was it there to serve the many or few, the haves or the have-nots, for business or for people? Many Americans began to even doubt the American Dream. The impact of reconstruction on this time was a big one, the abolition of slavery was taking place and the institution being removed from society, boatloads of immigrants were arriving consistently, and American values were changing. All that glitters is not gold. Reconstruction started in 1865. Reconstruction could simply be called the rebuilding of the south after it’s destruction in the civil war. However, the reconstruction era was more than that. It was a period of transition for the Ame... ... middle of paper ... ...ut the influence of America's rapidly expanding wealth already left its mark on public life, as many politicians embraced a governing philosophy rooted in the premise that the rich should be allowed to pursue its endeavors with minimal government interference. Urban politics was filled with powerful organizations that exchanged jobs and contracts for political loyalty. Unsurprisingly, the politicians running those organizations always managed to skim a little off the top for themselves. America's farmers suffered during these years. At first, they took advantage of the new technologies and markets of America's growing economy. However, they soon faced increasing competition, saturated markets, and falling produce prices. By the last decades of the century, their share of the national wealth had declined and their iconic place in the American imagination was at risk.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the reconstruction years of america served as transitions for social, economic, cultural, and political aspects of society.
- Explains that the reconstruction era was a period of transition for the american society, despite the civil war being over.
- Explains that slavery was never fully integrated into american society, but the psychological consequences that resulted from its existence became a part of american social thought and behavior.
- Explains that the american dream is the belief that everyone is equal and given enough time and work anyone can become prosperous. carnegie created an american monopoly of the steel industry.
- Explains that rockefeller's standard oil company bullied their competition by effectively forcing them to join his trust or face bankruptcy. the urban worker endured great poverty in this time period.
- Explains that the 13th amendment abolished slavery and created an influx of workers that needed jobs. in 1868, the 14th amendment granted citizenship to those born within the united states.
- Explains that the gilded age was a period of terrible labor violence, which led to the formation of labor unions.
- Explains that the knights of labor collapsed after the haymarket riot in chicago in 1886. crafts unions organized skilled tradesmen to small union
- Analyzes how the spread of cities increased the pace and stress of life for middle-class americans but farmers and industrial workers did not share the improvement as they worked long hours for low pay.
- Explains that the homestead act of 1962 redistributed westward land and spread out american society. it ushered in an age of consumerism, homogenization and helped cement the american dream.
Related
- comparative
- explanatory
- analytical
- How Did Reconstruction Affect African Americanscomparative essayFollowing the Civil War, America underwent many changes during the Reconstruction era to reach where it needed to be or where it should’ve been. The purpose of reconstruction was to rebuild the South after the Union’s victory in the war that freed all the slaves the South had and needed. During this period, there were ratifications of amendments, social and economic factors that affected African Africans, and the end of reconstruction.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that america underwent many changes during the reconstruction era to reach where it needed to be. the purpose of reconstruction was to rebuild the south after the union's victory in the war.
- Explains that abraham lincoln's emancipation proclamation was the first change made during the reconstruction period in the united states.
- Explains that the second change was presidential reconstruction during andrew johnson's presidency. his stance was on his beliefs in unionism and states' rights.
- Explains that the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments were important because they were designed to ensure equality among the recently emancipated slaves, the african americans, and white people.
- Explains that african americans were denied their rights in many different ways during the ratification of the 15th amendment, such as jim crow laws, poll taxes, and the literacy test.
- Explains that the compromise of 1877 was an agreement that stated if hayes could remove the troops from the southern states, he would win the presidency and become president.
- Concludes that america would have been rebuilding for who knows how long had it not been for all the changes reconstruction brought. it went through numerous political, social, and economic factors to grant all men equal rights and citizenship.
729 wordsRead More - After the Civil War, the United States had a total transformation. The country used to be mainly agricultural, but by the late 1800’s it became the world's leading industrial nation. Railroads and new inventions emerged rapidly along with big businesses. Huge corporations controlled the economy and a large amount of job opportunities emerged. Sadly, workers were mistreated and the workplace was a dangerous place to be, but that did not stop the average people from fighting for their rights. New political ideas came about and the United States turned upside down into a whole new era.
In this essay, the author
- Explains how the united states transformed after the civil war into the world's leading industrial nation. workers were mistreated and the workplace was dangerous.
- Explains how america's abundance of natural and human resources enabled the nation to develop so greatly in such a short amount of time.
- Explains that the population nearly tripled during the time after the civil war thanks to the 17-million immigrants from europe and china, who were in search of a better life.
- Explains that the idea of laissez-faire spread through the nation during this time, but many business leaders and congress members believed they were a necessity.
- Explains how the industrial revolution transformed america into one of the most powerful countries in the world. the telephone is still used today, along with international transportation, unions, time zones, and many other discoveries.
635 wordsRead More - Was The Reconstruction A Success Or A Failureanalytical essayReconstruction is the period of rebuilding the south that succeeded the Civil War (1861-1865). This period of time is set by the question now what? The Union won the war and most of the south was destroyed. Devastation, buildings turned into crumbles and lost crops. The South was drowning in poverty. To worsen the situation there were thousands of ex-slaves that were set free by the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13 Amendment. "All these ex-slaves", Dr. Susan Walens commented, "and no place to put them," The ex-slaves weren't just homeless but they had no rights, unlike white man. The government and congress had to solve the issues present in the south and the whole nation in order to re-establish the South. These issues were economical, social and political. The United States had presidential and congressional reconstruction. Reconstruction was a failure, a great attempt to unify the nation. It was a failure due to the events that took place during this period.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that reconstruction was a failure due to the events that took place during this period.
- Analyzes how the special field order 15 put all the land under federal control acquired by the government during the war to use for the homestead of the blacks.
- Explains that the freedmen bureau was the federal institution in control of terrains given to blacks and now they had to take it back.
- Analyzes how president johnson started the period of reconstruction by pardoning confederates soldiers if they pleaded loyalty and alliance to the union.
- Explains that congress impeached president johnson for slowing the reconstruction. grant won the elections, and the 15th amendment was added to the constitution.
- Explains that reconstruction was a hard time where bad decisions took place but god ones were put in effect like the three amendments, the civil rights bill, and the tenure of office.
957 wordsRead More - Changes to America Result from Civil War and Reconstructionanalytical essayIn the later 1800’s, the Civil War and the time of Reconstruction brought huge differences in America. After the Declaration of Independence, many social changes were needed to protect the rights of all people, no matter their race. The result of the war and Reconstruction changed the landscape in America politically, socially, and also economically. , document A over a speech in congress on new banking and currency strategies, an economic adjustment is present. In Document B, Document C, Document D, Document G, and Document H, the tremendous social change that happened in America is present.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the civil war and the time of reconstruction brought huge differences in america. the result of the war and reconstruction changed america politically, socially, and economically.
- Explains that the smallest change that occurred as an outcome of the war and the reconstruction period was the economic revision.
- Analyzes how the 14th amendment of 1868 was a social change that occurred as an outcome of the war and reconstruction period.
- Analyzes how the white man in the picture is upset about the vote they are making. the third man is an african-american who is wearing a uniform.
588 wordsRead More - Why Did Reconstruction Fail?analytical essayReconstruction is known as the period after the Civil war. The whole country was separated in two, people didn’t know what to do, the south was completely destroyed, and there were a lot of decisions to be made by the president. It lasted four years, and there was over half a million casualties between the union (North) and the confederate states (South). The north was declared the winner of the war after General Lee surrender in the Appomattox court house on April 9, 1865. The causes of the war was the secession of several southern states, they argued that it was up to them and it was in their rights to decide whether they should make slavery legal or illegal in their own boundaries. But the Union had other things in mind, the union wanted to decide whether or not the states were going to have slaves. This was just to make sure the country was equal on slavery and non-slavery on both sides, but states thought the union was abusing their power and being too strict on them, and that is when they decided to secede. The first state to secede was south Carolina, then they were followed by six other states, among those states were Florida, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. These states got together and created the confederate states of America in February 4, 1861, and the president was Jefferson Davis, they also made a government similar to the one of the U.S. Constitution.
In this essay, the author
- Describes the period after the civil war, when the country was separated in two, the south was destroyed, and there were decisions to be made by the president.
- Explains that lincoln's plan to reunite the nation, restore, and heal the wounds that the aftermath of the civil war had left behind sparked tensions in the north.
- Explains that congress created the freedmen's bureau, which helped recently-freed slaves that had lost their home plantations due to the wars, and passed the civil rights act.
- Cites cassel, s. (2008, june 1). the failure of reconstruction. history conection.
- Cites gordon, t. (2010, january 1). reconstruction. the story of us. retrieved april 17, 2014.
- Analyzes how the complexity and number of ideas that led to confusion and further separation of the nation caused the process to crash and fail.
945 wordsRead More - Reconstruction: A Partial Success and a Partial Failureanalytical essayReconstruction: A Partial Success and a Partial Failure After the Civil War ended in 1865, it was followed by an era known as Reconstruction that lasted until 1877, with the goal to rebuild the nation. Lincoln was the president at the beginning of this era, until his assassination caused his vice president, Andrew Johnson to take his place in 1865. Johnson was faced with numerous issues such as the reunification of the union and the unknown status of the ex-slaves, while compromising between the principles of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. After the Election of 1868, Ulysses S. Grant, a former war hero with no political experience, became the nation’s new president, but was involved in numerous acts of corruption.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that lincoln was the president at the beginning of this era, until his assassination caused his vice president, andrew johnson, to take his place in 1865. grant, a former war hero with no political experience, became the nation's new president.
- Explains that lincoln and johnson both passed reconstruction plans that helped reunite the north and the south, but congress was not satisfied and passed its own plan.
- Explains that the amnesty act of 1872 allowed southerners to vote for democrats and retake control of state governments. the radical reconstruction had little and no permanent effect.
- Analyzes how the black codes, jim crow laws, and sharecropping denied blacks equal rights and brought them closer to slavery.
- Explains that sharecropping was a legal form of slavery that planters used to keep the blacks on their land forever, with no benefits for them.
- Explains that corruption and the economic depression of 1873 resulted in economic failure of the nation during the reconstruction era.
- Analyzes how reconstruction victoriously reunited the union, but it failed to protect the rights of blacks due to inequitable laws such as the black codes, jim crow laws and sharecropping.
1407 wordsRead More - The Influence of the Populist Platform on Americaanalytical essayAfter the civil war, especially during the late 1800s, the US industrial economy has been thriving and booming which reflected on the numerous improvements that occurred in transportation through new railroad, in new markets for new invented goods and in the increased farm yield. However, most of this wealth has been captured by the capitalists, they looked down on the working poor class and expected them to submit to them. Also, they had control over the government seeking to maintain a system of monopoly to allow them to grow richer from others. Thus, they were controlling both political and economic conditions of the country.
In this essay, the author
- Explains how sharecropping was a compromise of the farmers to land and the owners demand for discipline, which led to many conflicts and strikes, pushed the capitalists to deploy federal troops and militia units to break strikes.
- Explains that the populist party's platform provided solutions to both economic and political problems. they called for a safe, flexible, national currency to be issued by the government.
- Explains how the progressive era dawned on the american nation in the 1900s. progressives worked to establish public control of natural monopolies and improve public transportation.
- Analyzes how the farmers and working class in the 1870s were able to change a great nation; it is remarkable how such uneducated poor farmers unified to form an alliance to defend their rights.
- Describes foner, e., "give me liberty!" an american history.
- Explains that the us industrial economy has been booming since the 1800s, but the capitalists have taken control of the country's political and economic conditions.
1238 wordsRead More - Reconstruction in America After the Civil Waranalytical essayThe Meaning of Reconstruction America has gone through many hardships and struggles since coming together as a nation involving war and changes in the political system. Many highly regarded leaders in America have come bestowing their own ideas and foundation to provide a better life for “Americans”, but no other war or political change is more infamous than the civil war and reconstruction. Reconstruction started in 1865 and ended in 1877 and still to date one of the most debated issues in American history on whether reconstruction was a failure or success as well as a contest over the memory, meaning, and ending of the war. According to, “Major Problems in American History” David W. Blight of Yale University and Steven Hahn of the University of Pennsylvania take different stances on the meaning of reconstruction, and what caused its demise. David W. Blight argues that reconstruction was a conflict between two solely significant, but incompatible objectives that “vied” for attention both reconciliation and emancipation.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that america has gone through many hardships and struggles since coming together as a nation involving war and changes in the political system.
- Analyzes how hahn evokes the two strong different beliefs even after the war leaves a bitter taste in people’s mouth evolving to animosity towards one another, ultimately making reconcile difficult.
- Explains that lincoln's passing awoke two highly regarded republican leaders that came together to start 'radicals'. the plan was to disenfranchise white southerners, protect black civil rights, and confiscate south property and grant them to newly freed slaves.
- Analyzes how lincoln's death opens doors for people like blight to propose powerful counter arguments about "meaning and memory" as significant factors to reconstruction.
879 wordsRead More - Civil War Reconstruction Dbqexplanatory essayDuring the time period of 1860 and 1877 many major changes occurred. From the beginning of the civil war to the fall of the reconstruction, the United States changed dramatically. Nearly one hundred years after the Declaration of Independence which declared all men equal, many social and constitutional alterations were necessary to protect the rights of all people, no matter their race. These social and constitutional developments that were made during 1860 to 1877 were so drastic it could be called a revolution.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the united states changed dramatically from the beginning of the civil war to the fall of reconstruction. social and constitutional changes were necessary to protect the rights of all people, no matter their race.
- Explains that south carolina was the first state to secede from the union. the thirteenth amendment abolished slavery.
- Explains how literacy tests, grandfather clauses, and fear caused by the ku klux klan were used to keep blacks from exercising their right to vote. reconstruction ended in 1877 with the compromise.
- Explains that blacks were viewed as less than equal to whites during the period from 1860 to 1877. the political cartoon in harper's weekly depicts the horrors for former slaves.
- Explains how constitutional and social developments changed the united states to a revolutionary proportion between 1860 and 1877. the new amendments and the fight for civil rights altered the previous way of life and changed american society.
941 wordsRead More - Agrarian Discontent 1880 To 1900analytical essayThe period between 1880 and 1900 was a boom time for American Politics. The country was finally free of the threat of war, and many of its citizens were living comfortably. However, as these two decades went by, the American farmer found it harder and harder to live comfortably. Crops such as cotton and wheat, once the sustenance of the agriculture industry, were selling at prices so low that it was nearly impossible for farmers to make a profit off them. Furthermore, improvement in transportation allowed foreign competition to materialize, making it harder for American farmers to dispose of surplus crop. Mother Nature was also showing no mercy with grasshoppers, floods, and major droughts that led to a downward spiral of business that devastated many of the nation’s farmers. As a result of the agricultural depression, numerous farms groups, most notably the Populist Party, arose to fight what the farmers saw as the reasons for the decline in agriculture. During the final twenty years of the nineteenth century, many farmers in the United States saw monopolies and trusts, railroads, and money shortages and the loss in value of silver as threats to their way of life, all of which could be recognized as valid complaints.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the period between 1880 and 1900 was a boom time for american politics. however, the american farmer found it hard to live comfortably.
- Analyzes how the growth of the railroad hurt small shippers and farmers in many ways. the railroads used rebates and drawbacks to win business.
- Explains how railroads tried to end competition by establishing pools to divide traffic equally and charge similar rates. the pool lacked legal status, while the trust centralized control over a number of different companies.
- States that the interstate commerce act of 1887 was passed to establish a commission to oversee fair and just railway rates, prohibit rebates, end discriminatory practices, and require annual reports and financial statements.
- Explains the rise of monopolies and trusts in the nineteenth century. falling prices, along with the need for better efficiency in industry, led to companies like carnegie steel and standard oil.
- Explains that congress passed the sherman antitrust act in 1890, which outlawed trusts and other restraints of trade.
- Explains that john d. rockefeller, head of standard oil, competed ardently to not crush out his competitors, but instead to persuade them to join the business.
- Analyzes how deflation and falling prices led to the bitter complaint of farmers and the populist party that grew out of agricultural discontent.
- Analyzes how the wealthy eastern businessman controlled a huge number of western farmers. the more these industrial businessmen increased their prices along their railroads and factories, the more the farmers suffered.
- Explains that the farmers of the late 1800's had many reasons for being dissatisfied with their situation. unfair railroad practices, such as rebates and drawbacks, hurt them severely.
1453 wordsRead More