The Revolutionary Aftermath of the Civil War

The Revolutionary Aftermath of the Civil War

Despite many hardships that remained from the antebellum state of

the union, reconstruction was a socially and constitutionally revolutionary

period. The attempts to deter black voters were greatly outweighed by the

numbers of blacks voting, as well as the laws that were passed to protect

the rights of American citizens, black and white alike.

The years after the war saw a rise in the number of human rights laws

that were passed, most of which were primarily focused on blacks, but

included whites as well. In document D, Gideon Welles stated that the

national government didn’t hold the power to grant suffrage to anyone, nor

had it shown any interest in the matter. Because of this, the state

governments were able to enact black codes which restrained citizens, both

black and white, from voting because they were illiterate or because they

weren’t of a high enough economic status. This later changed as blacks

became more active in government and voiced their upset to the national

government, as shown by Document C. B...