The Reconstruction Era Dbq

The American Civil War came to a terrible and bloody end with six hundred thousand casualties and the North winning and the South losing. Southern soldiers returned from the war and found their home in ruins. Lots of people lost their homes, land, businesses, and their way of life. Many Southerners faced starvation due to the high food prices and the widespread of crop failure. The Confederate money that was used by Southerners was now useless. Numerous banks collapsed, and the merchants went bankrupt because people couldn’t pay their debts. The people of the South were penniless and broken. (“Post”)

Reconstruction was a period in the United States where it was going through significant changes and challenges. The first change made during the reconstruction period was the Emancipation Proclamation designed by Abraham Lincoln. How it came about was the North was disappointed in Abraham Lincoln’s failure

After the American Civil War ended in 1865, the nation devoted much of their time to rebuild the South, during a time period known as Reconstruction Era (1865-1877). Reconstruction generally refers to the period in which the federal government set the conditions that would allow the rebellious southern states to be readmitted into the Union. During this time, the South faced some hardships, benefits, and disappointments. Some examples of hardships that the South had to face was that the Civil War damaged the South and there was a decrease in wealth and agriculture, according to Documents 2 and 8. An example of benefits for African Americans during the Reconstruction Era is that teachers, like Charlotte Forten from Document 4, educated former slaves. However, many methods were used to deny African Americans their rights, like the Grandfather Clause (Document 6).

Reconstruction in the South While reading Eric Foner's book I came to appreciate the difficulties the freed black slaves encountered for example, how the previous slave owning class continued to manipulate the freed slaves. Also, I was impressed at the great sacrifice they made when attempting to become educated. Last of all I was surprised at the severity of persecution and abuse of blacks that was still considered legal after they were "freed". When the label of slave was removed from the black American, it was meant to clarify that they were human beings.

Reconstruction was a period of time that took place directly after the Civil War when the Confederacy was ruled by the Union government and military. Reconstruction is sometimes seen as a good thing because it did help out the newly freed African Americans, and the recently deprived white Southerners. However, it also created tension and resentment between Southerners and Northerners, as well as between the whites and the blacks, and, when the Reconstruction was over and the whites were back in office, they saw blacks as the enemy, and they took out the anger and injustice they felt they had received on the blacks. It brought the nation together once more, but it made the racial gap wider than ever.

As a nation, America has faced some troublesome times through her life span. As history goes on, people never forget about the Reconstruction era. Reconstruction was refers to the efforts made in the United State between 1865 and 1877. As the saying goes, ¨All good things must come to an end¨ which is exactly the case. The reputation Reconstruction has is labeled both a success and a failure.

Reconstruction was the time period following the Civil War, which lasted from 1865 to 1877, in which the United States began to rebuild. The term can also refer to the process the federal government used to readmit the defeated Confederate states to the Union. While all aspects of Reconstruction were not successful, the main goal of the time period was carried out, making Reconstruction over all successful. During this time, the Confederate states were readmitted to the Union, the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments were ratified, and African Americans were freed from slavery and able to start new lives.

Reconstruction was the time between 1863 and 1877 when the U.S. focused on abolishing slavery, destroying the Confederacy, and reconstructing the nation and the Constitution and is also the general history of the post-Civil War era in the U.S. between 1865 and 1877. Under Abraham Lincoln, presidential reconstruction began in each state as soon as federal troops controlled most of the state. The usual ending date is 1877, when the Compromise of 1877 saw the collapse of the last Republican state governments in the South

Along with many other white abolitionists of the time, Abraham Lincoln believed that a system of free labour would eventually lead to corruption throughout the United States. ‘Now I protest against that counterfeit logic which concludes that, because I do not want a black woman for a slave I must necessarily want her for a wife. I need not have her for either, I can just leave her alone. In some respects she certainly is not my equal; but in her natural right to eat the bread she earns with her own hands without asking leave of anyone else, she is my equal, and the equal of all others.’ Through this, Lincoln expressed his view that slavery was completely contradicting the principle upon which the United States was first founded – that is – freedom of all people. By proposing that slavery be done away with entirely was a deeply controversial stance from Lincoln and is evidence that even before any legal change was even initially drafted, Lincoln was bringing about improvements for African Americans forced into slavery in the same way his advisor Frederick Douglas had - by gradually changing social attitudes to it. However, it was indeed during Lincoln’s presidency that the Emancipation Proclamation was first introduced, applying to 3.1 million of the 4 million slaves in the U.S. at the time . This is shows significant improved civil rights given the context of the time. It meant that many African Americans could now fight for their freedom as the Proclamation stated that all African Americans of a ‘suitable condition, would be received into the armed service of the United States.’ Furthermore, it is because of the Emancipation Proclamation that the Union army began to fight for the freedom of all African Americans previously s...

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.