During 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. The election of Abraham Lincoln and the secession of the South led to the outbreak of the civil war. The civil war was the first revolutionary change in America. States' rights were a major issue during this time. Issues of power, different interpretations of the constitution, and banking issues led to many difficulties. South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union. In South Carolina's Declaration of Causes, it was stated that "powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states" (Document A). The 10th amendment which limited the power of the federal government had acted as a backing for the secession of the South. Nowhere in the constitution did it say that the states had no right to secede from the Union. This secession from the union forever changed the country. Another major change that occurred after the civil war was the thirteenth amendment which abolished slavery. Even though the slaves had fought for the Union in the civil war, they were unable to take any political action and were still inferior as it is stated in document C. The fifteenth amendment granted the right to vote to all men no matter the race. It was argued t... ... middle of paper ... ...dom and right to vote established by the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, blacks were still oppressed by strong black codes and Jim Crow laws. The federal government created strong legislation for blacks to be helped and educated, but it was ineffective due to strong opposition. Although blacks cried out to agencies, such as the Freemen's Bureau, declaring that they were "in a more unpleasant condition than our former" (Document E), their cries were often overshadowed by violence. Both constitutional and social developments greatly 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 forever changed American society. Inequality, fear, and corruption sent the United States into turmoil that would transform the country and lead to a revolution of change.
The period between 1880 and 1990 can be seen as a period of civil strife. The civil right movement had little impact with few significant improvements towards the overall goal of equality. Despite the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteen amendments
From the day, the first European set foot on American soil up until the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment, which occurred in 1865. Slavery was a controversial issue. The issue of slavery divided up the United States of America to ultimately put the two against each other. The Northern States who identifies themselves as the Union disapproved of the atrocious actions of the South who condone the crude treatment of slaves and the disturbing practices of slavery. Although slavery was not the sole cause of the Civil war, it played an important part in the disunion of the United States. The battle between states rights and federal rights rubbed more salt in the already enormous wound. Southern States who later considers themselves the confederates disapproved of the idea that the available actions of the states to act upon certain situations were dwindling, reducing the power and rights of the states. The set up of all these complications and disagreements led to the secession of the southern states which initiated the start of the brutal American Civil War which lasted from 1861 to 1865.
Groups of people soon received new rights. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act. It gave black Americans full citizenship and guaranteed them equal treatment. Also, it passed the Fourteenth Amendment to make sure that the Supreme Court couldn’t declare the Civil Rights Act unconstitutional. The amendment made blacks citizens of the United States and the states in which they lived. Also, states were forbidden to deprive blacks of life, liberty, or property without due process. Additionally, blacks could not be discriminated by the law. If a state would deprive blacks of their rights as citizens, it’s number of congressional representatives would be reduced. The Civil Rights Act as well as the Fourteenth Amendment affected both the North and the South.
Whites never gave total freedom to African Americans. Blacks were forced to endure curfews, passes, and living on rented land, which put them in a similar situation as slaves. In 1866, the KKK started a wave of violence and abuse against negroes in the south, destroying their properties, assaulting and killing them in different ways, just because angry white people do not want the blacks to stand up and join in political or any kind of issues or freedom. The Fourteenth Amendment did surely constitute the biggest development of government force following the approval of the Constitution.
After the Civil War came the Reconstruction. The Reconstruction gave some power back to the states and eventually brought the states back together. It gave the state’s power by allowing them to govern themselves under military commanders from the Union. Although this brought the 14th amendment which gave former
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. On the other hand Steven Hahn argues that former slaves and confederates were willing and prepared to fight for what they believed in “reflecting a long tradition of southern violence that had previously undergirded slavery” Hahn also believes that reconstruction ended when the North grew tired of the 16 year freedom conflict. Although many people are unsure, Hahn’s arguments presents a more favorable appeal from support from his argument oppose to Blight. The inevitable end of reconstruction was the North pulling federal troops from the south allowing white rule to reign again and proving time travel exist as freed Africans in the south again had their civil, political, and economical position oppressed.
Around the year 1800, there are some significant political, economic, and social changes. These changes affected Americans significantly. Americans in nineteenth century described that freedom is the most important character of their country. Freedom was connected with economic and democracy but it is also influenced by the slavary system.
The years after the civil war left one half of America, the north, satisfied and the other half, the south, mostly dissatisfied. Therefore the last third of the nineteenth century, 1865-1900, was a time period in which America was mending, repairing, improving, reshaping, and reconstructing its society, economy, culture, and policies. Basically it was changing everything it stood for. This continual change can be seen in the following events that took place during this time. These events are both causes and effects of why America is what it is today. These are some examples: the reconstruction of the south, the great movement towards the west, the agricultural revolution, the rise of industrialism, the completion of the transcontinental railroad, and America's growth to gaining world power. All of these are reasons and events that characterize America as being an ever-changing nation.
All in all, between 1860 and 1877, the constitutional and social developments have amount to a revolution. A revolution encompasses improvements and downfalls, and without a doubt, the times between 1860 and 1877 covered all of this. The revolution solidified the power of the federal government and gave new suffrage and civil opportunities for black freedmen with the reconstruction amendments. Also, at the same time, the revolution contained resentment from white men, through terrorist activities, the Ku Klux Klan, and black codes. As a result, the new constitutional and social developments changed the American nation with a revolution of good and bad.
In the years of 1860-1877 the United States brought forth many social and constitutional developments and changes. Along with these numerous changes, continuities stayed. The start of the Civil War in 1860 would trigger the dividing of the American people from each other. The times from the end of the Civil War to the end of reconstruction would change America up to this day.
There have been many changes by the late 1800s that have helped America change politically. For example by making the 13th amendment, the 14th amendment, and the 15th amendment. The 13th amendment was made to help end slavery in the United States. The 13th amendment gave Blacks more rights, it helped end slavery, and it highlighted that Blacks were humans. This helped give Blacks equal rights and they were treated equally and not treated as property. The 14th amendment states that everyone born in the United States was born with rights. The rights that everyone was born with was that they weren’t allowed to be deprived of anyone's peron of life, liberty, or property. This was important because this gave everyone equal rights and the only thing that you needed was to be born in America. The 15th amendment gave citizens the right to vote. This
The course began in the year 1789, a significant year of transition for the United States. A decade or so prior, the United States was embroiled in a conflict over the inability of a foreign power to govern an overseas territories without proper representation in the foreign power’s government. This conflict, The American Revolution, may be the first significant radical movement in the history of the United States. However, the American Revolution led to unprecedented reforms in North American society. The Civil War, another significant example of a radical movement in the United States, began as a conflict over the issue of states rights. However, it quickly escalated into an issue of the legality and morality of slavery and once that was deemed amoral and illegal, the overthrow of the system that benefited from the institution the most was attacked. Consequently, the movement that responded to that overthrow sought to change the reasons for the radical overthrow. This response or rather reform manifested itself the Civil Rights Movement (1890s-1920). The relationship between radical and reform movements in American history is akin to a cause an effect factor. The radical movements of specifics cause leads to the effect that develops into a reform movement. Radicalism is the process by which change is forced. An aspect or aspects of the society or system is found flawed and action is taken to correct that flaw. The determinate factor in the success of the radical movement in contingent upon the ability of true reformers to create and enforce change. Therefore, radical and reform movements, work in conjunction with each other, as one cannot exist without the other.
The Transformation of the American Society was drastically effected by the Civil Rights movement and the antiwar movements that occurred during the 1960s and 1970s. These movements gained momentum quickly as public sentiment saw the everlasting war in Vietnam and the domestic violence within the country as unneccessary.
In the latter half of the 18th century, freed slaves possessed the right to vote in all but three states. It was not until the 19th century that states began to pass laws to disenfranchise the black population. In 1850, only 6 out of the 31 states allowed blacks to vote. 1Following the civil war, three reconstruction amendments were passed. The first and second sought to end slavery and guarantee equal rights. The third, the 15th amendment, granted suffrage regardless of color, race, or previous position of servitude.2 The 15th Amendment monumentally changed the structure of American politics as it was no longer the privileged whites who could vote. For some it was as though hell had arrived on earth, but for others, it was freedom singing. However, the song was short lived. While many political cartoons from the period show the freedom that ex-slaves have for voting because of the 15th Amendment, they often neglect to include the fact that many African Americans were coerced into voting a certain way or simply had their rights stripped from them.
The state, as did other states in the United States of America, underwent some political, economic and cultural changes that defined the lives of people in the subsequent years. The changes are described in great detail below;