Shenton, James P. The Reconstruction: A Documentary History of the South after the War: 1865
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.
Perman Michael, Amy Murrell Taylor. Major Problems in the Civil War and Reconstruction. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2011.
Hundreds of years of US history were covered over the course of Ms. Zink’s U.S History class; everything from the country’s birth to the modern day. But one era of the United State’s history stood out as being particularly relevant and important today: Reconstruction. The American Civil War may have been a defining moment in American history, but it was the events of the decade following it, that cemented its lasting impact. During Reconstruction the Federal government attempted to enforce racial equality in the South, and it met with some initial success. The failures of Reconstruction — at least in achieving true racial equality — still echo through today. Reconstruction was the closest pre-20th century
The battle of Gettysburg was the most important battle in the Civil War and in shaping our county. The Battle of Little Round Top was noted as the most important battle in the Battle of Gettysburg. Located in Gettysburg Pennsylvania is little round top which is the smaller of two hills south of Gettysburg Pennsylvania, between Emmetsburg and Taneytown roads. During the second day of the battel of Gettysburg, little round became a key location in winning the battel.
American History prior to 1877 has shaped our great nation of today. I could choose many topics to write about such as the colonization of the Americas, war with Britain or even Shay’s Rebellion but the event in American history that stands out the most to me is the reconstruction period. The Reconstruction period ranges from 1865 to 1877. The reconstruction period is significant to American history because it is the time period that followed after the civil war when the South needed to be reconstructed. Also the reconstruction period is very important to the newly freed slaves because after the war they were granted their freedom. In my paper I will discuss the impact the reconstruction period had on the newly freed
How did the foundation for such a deep commitment to the Union and the army develop, especially given the decentralized nature of federalism and the relatively small size of national institutions like the army prior to the war? If the war was less transformative of Northern views of slavery and race than previous scholars have supposed, does this suggest that Radical Reconstructionist hopes were largely stillborn? How, then, do we explain the political transformation from a pre-war Thirteenth Amendment that, if ratified, would have all but guaranteed slavery's permanency to a series of postwar amendments that not only ended the institution but expanded civil rights and the franchise to include freedmen? Answering these difficult questions requires an appreciation of the diverse approaches needed to account for the complex intersections of racial ideas and the institution of slavery with republican institutions and political practices. The Union War calls for a reassessment of some of the foundational assumptions that we bring to these and other questions.
From Revolution to Reconstruction.2006. “An Outline of American History (1994).”[Available Online][cited June 20, 2008] http://www.let.rug.nl/
After the Civil War, the United States faced the difficult task of reconstructing a country damaged physically, socially, and politically. Why was it difficult? Reconstruction – the process by which seceded states were to re-enter back into the Union – was difficult because of the differences between the Radical Republicans in Congress and Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson’s ideas on how to approach Reconstruction. The definitive goal of Reconstruction was to give former slaves the same rights as whites and to reunite the Union as effectively as possible, but the disagreement as how best this had to be done was what made Reconstruction neither a success, nor a failure, but something in between.
My goal in this paper is to shed light on the reconstruction struggle which was waged by radical northerners who wanted to punish the South people who wanted to preserve their way of life.
The end of the Civil War in 1865 exited a period of strife and conflict and rapidly ushered in another. At the dawn of the period of Reconstruction, the relatively new nation of America was availed of an opportunity to redefine itself based on the principles of true freedom for all of its citizens. Unfortunately, the ingrained biases, preferences, and selfishness of the human condition consigned the possibility to the gloom of unrecognized potential. Due to legislative outcomes, the attitudes of the public sphere, and the condition of the freed slaves at the end of 1877, Reconstruction should be considered a failure.
While the Reconstruction Era lasted only a short time its impact on the nation’s progression was far reaching. Scholar Douglas R. Egerton attempts to encapsulate the trials and tribulations of Reconstruction in his publication, The Wars of Reconstruction: The Brief, Violent History of America’s Most Progressive Era. The slaves might not have freed themselves, but it was up to them, according to Egerton, to build some sort of appreciable meaning into that freedom. For that purpose Egerton sets Reconstruction in the South.Unlike many of his contemporaries, Egerton does not rely on narrative stylings to tell Reconstruction’s story; instead he utilizes an array of local primary sources such as newspaper reports, case law, and various other outlets
United States History: Reconstruction to the Present. Boston, Mass: Pearson / Prentice Hall, 2009. 927-354, 357, and 358.
He led his 75,000-man Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac River, through Maryland, and into Pennsylvania, seeking to win a major battle on Northern soil that would further dispirit the Union war effort and induce Britain or France to intervene on the Confederacy’s behalf. The 90,000-strong Army of the Potomac pursued the Confederates into Maryland, but its commander, General Joseph Hooker, was still stinging from his defeat at Chancellorsville and seemed reluctant to chase Lee further. Meanwhile, the Confederates divided their forces and investigated various targets, such as Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania
McPHERSON, James M. "Major Problems in the Civil War and Reconstruction." (n.d.): n. pag. Rpt. in Major Problems in American History Series. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 10. Print.