The Civil War was inevitable and regardless of the outcome on the fields of battle, the reconstruction of the nation was equally inevitable because as much as the North and the South had irrevocable differences, it was in the mutual interest of the North, the South and the West to maintain a relationship based on symbiosis. The Civil War and the reconstruction of the nation were bound to happen. There was a great diversity throughout the nation within the three sections. Differences in opinions and rules in slavery, economic and civilization differences are all examples of causes of the Civil War. However, the reconstruction of the nation was necessary, because the three sections needed each other to survive.
15.The Constitutional Conventions of the Southern States between 1867 and 1868 proved that the South will remain to the control of whites. With the 10 states that searched for the readmission to the Union through the creation of a state constitution only four states that included Louisiana, Florida, South Carolina, and Virginia had some leverage in the formation of the state structure for government. The rest of the six states had dwindling percentage between 10% to 20% of African American members in the conventions. It was not a surprise that all adopted the same if not similar Black Codes that restricted the Blacks to labor intensive work, and other detrimental conditions.
There were over six hundred African-American politicians during this time even though they would later be forced out. Example of African-American politicians during this time would would be in January 1867, black men voted and held office for the first time through the former Confederate States and the District of Columbia and another example would be in Louisiana where 133 black men held seats in the legislature between 1868 and 189, three black men served as a lieutenant governor and one served as an acting governor for forty-three days. These are the many ways in which Reconstruction was a success, but as noted, many of these great ideas were failures in and of itself because of their lack of
In 1869, at the age of 46, Ulysses S. Grant was elected as the 18th president. His administrations was shrouded with many scandals, with one of these scandals was the Jay Gould and Jim Fisk’s plot to corner the gold market. President Grant was not personnel involve...
Known as one of the most disputed presidential elections in history, the Election of 1876 stood out as a controversial election between the two candidates Rutherford B. Hayes, the governor from Ohio, and the Democrat Governor of New York, Samuel B Tilden. The disputed election caused an uproar between the two parties with danger looming that there would be no president on Inauguration day. The Compromise of 1877 was a wise adjustment to avoid serious sectional conflict erupting between the North and the South, bringing peace to the Union.’
Reconstruction was the rebuilding after the war. The Reconstruction period lasted from 1865-1877. Reconstruction was not only the physical rebuilding but also the “political, economic, and social changes” (Berkin, Cherny, Gormly, Miller, 2013, 417). The stages of Reconstruction were the Presidential Reconstruction, Freedom and the Legacy of Slavery, Congressional Reconstruction and Black Reconstruction. Reconstruction started off as a success. It united the United States. States that succeeded from the union had made new constitutions and accepted the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments.
It is generally assumed that the Reconstruction period of the United States failed. This era, which lasted from the end of the Civil War to the election of Rutherford B. Hayes, saw three amendments to the Constitution, two Civil Rights Acts, and the “enfranchisement of the black man”. (Frederick Douglass, 1865) Reconstruction was necessary to rebuild the South’s economy, and welcome states back into the Union. While it succeeded in legally uniting all the states, civil matters were not so easily influenced. Slavery, for example, was abolished during the Civil War due to Abraham Lincoln’s war powers. Over the next decade, three amendments were passed through Congress to protect the rights of these freedmen. Congress, at this time, was held
However, Ulysses Grant won the next presidential election and the Fifteenth Amendment was adopted, which granted black suffrage, but there were many loopholes that allowed the states to discriminate against blacks due to illiteracy or their inability to pay an expensive tax. It should be noted, though, that women were still not granted the right to vote and this led to feminists searching for their own freedom. The Reconstruction Act resulted in a great interest in politics and African-Americans began holding political offices. As a result, southern life was greatly improved; however, there were opponents of Reconstruction – like government corruption and terror groups like the Ku Klux Klan who could not accept the idea of equality for all – that made Reconstruction in the South very hard. This, along with an economic depression, contributed to the North’s wavering dedication to Reconstruction and the Democrats regained control. This resulted in even more violence against black individuals and Republicans who supported Reconstruction. Consequently, the era of Reconstruction ended and blacks lost much of their previous power when Republicans were in
The Failure of Reconstruction in American history, the Civil War helped preserved the Union and helped free the slaves. During the Reconstruction, there was a loss of focus on politics and failure for freed slaves to gain civil liberties.
The first video, “Reconstruction and 1879” focuses on the events that took place after the civil war. The events are referred to as “reconstruction”. It was all about reuniting the country after it has been divided on the basis of race. The video mentions Lincoln and Andrew Johnson as two individuals who initiated the reconstruction process though they had different opinions. The nation was already divided into two where the whites inhabited the north while the blacks occupied the south. This video also focuses on the 14th amendment and the civil rights law where all people, whether black or white were treated as one.
History helps one learn about past mistakes and teaches one a lesson, in return our country becomes a stronger country. In the mid 1860’s, Reconstruction in the U.S. was an event that many thought would reshape America as a country after the civil war. However, many would soon find out that the idea of Reconstruction was far more complicated than just obtaining equal rights and protection for former slaves.
Essay prompt: How do you account for the failure of Reconstruction to bring about social and economic equality of opportunity to former slaves?
Many who witness the maws of change note how shifting cultural tides arise in grass-roots rallies, rebellions, or even retaliation in riots, which either peacefully, or otherwise, influence legislators. However, in America, copious amounts of legislation trickles from Washington to unwilling, immobile populations. In fact, one period in particular endured pushes for transformation unlike any other: the Reconstruction era. Although leadership had no choice, nonetheless the Reconstruction displays Congress’ failure to enforce unsought political and cultural advancement throughout diverse communities. All in all, legislation amid the Reconstruction which intended to support African Americans were considerably unsuccessful policies; despite
At the beginning of the Civil War, many slaves were promised great things, however, the things they expected did not happen, because of the horrible leadership of the country. The Civil War was fought between the Union and the Confederacy; otherwise known as the north and the south. The Union fought for the freedom of slaves, while the Confederacy fought to keep slaves. At the time of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was President, and Republicans viewed him as a leader, because he also looked towards the abolition of slavery. His views and his election and caused many states to secede from the country, because they believed he favored the north over the south. On April 14th, 1865, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Booth was working
Following the events of the Civil War in 1865, the United States and its Americans began a period of reconstruction. After the Union and Confederacy fought a bloody and violent war, the question was what was next for Americans? Thousands of ex-slaves were free and without aim after the Emancipation Proclamation earlier in 1863, the north and south were still divided, and on top of it all, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, it was truly one of the most difficult and challenging times in American History. These events influenced various groups of Americans to model their mindset and values, which will eventually shape the history of the United States up to the modern day. From White Americans holding dear their judeo christian values and believing