African Americans During The Reconstruction Era

One of the most frightening things is to realize the government is not on the same side as you. Unfortunately, that is what happened with the African-Americans during the reconstruction of the south and the Jews in Hitler’s Germany. Those who are supposed to help all of the nation and be fair and just were not and turned against them. It was hard. The people suffered in many ways. There were unjust politics, terror groups, rights were taken, and fallacies spread against them. What is worse is that this kind of treatment happens throughout history and even today too so many groups. It is important to understand how to recognize this and bring it to an end.

In the discussion of African-Americans, one controversial issue has been a debate over their depiction following the Civil War, and subsequent Reconstruction as federal aid, which help them secure their civil rights disappeared. One the one hand, some historians argue that the era was not document and assumed that African-Americans accumulated well, in particular former slaves in the South. Resolved and seemingly nonexistent, the contentious issue of slavery in combination with the passage of a slew of law that secured rights African-Americans. In their minds, what could possibly be a bigger issue to close? On the other hand, numerous historians point out the uncertainty of the era raises several essential questions. What happened to freed

America went to great lengths to pursue happiness, but was set back by the election of 1876. Due to the destruction after the Civil war, a plan to reconstruct was in motion while also welcoming millions of slaves as american citizens. Due mostly to the South's actions, reconstruction was killed by 1877.

After the Reconstruction act of 1867, this gave African Americans the ability to serve in the government in positions such as congressmen to state and local officials (Reconstruction Government in the South, para. 1 & 8). With extensive research, it can be assumed that the geographical location where African Americans served in government and had enough power in those states are in Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana. At this time, representatives were of a vast majority in government positions in these states, including and more noted, Senator Hiram Revels of Mississippi (Reconstruction Government in the South, para. 11-13). Regarding the party, African Americans made up a majority of southern Republican voters,

Even though the voting rights issue did not end with the Reconstruction era, it inspired many African Americans to rise and to establish a new leadership platform. The enlightenment period of the radical reconstruction brought a “more active role in the political, economic, and social life of the south” with the Republican domination in the 1866 elections; it introduced a new era for African Americans (“Black Leaders”). With the ratification of the 14th and 15th amendments and the spread of political activism towards African Americans through festive parades, protests, and community meetings, African Americans challenged themselves with the task of serving in a political office because African Americans never had a voice to speak for them

Margaret Walker once said, “Handicapped as we have been by a racist system of dehumanizing slavery and segregation, our American history of nearly five hundred years reveals that our cultural and spiritual gifts brought from our African past are still intact” (Walker, 1997). African Americans have been oppressed by the institution of slavery and segregation for many years. They have been submitted to cruel and inhumane treatments, yet they are still vibrant. They have remained vibrant with the help of several leaders, faith, and the willingness to change condition in which they were living. To say that African Americans have been treated poorly would be an understatement. African Americans have endured laws and treatments that have tested the

“True compassion does not sit on the laps of renovation; it dives with an approach to reconstruction. Don't throw a coin at a begger. Rather, destroy his source of poverty.” ― Israelmore Ayivor (Chandler, 2007). This quote not only explains what the purpose of the reconstruction was, but also the means on how to succeed. Africans after The Reconstruction not only didn’t have rights, but living became worse than what it was. There became a competition between rich vs. poor, native-born vs. immigrants and workers vs. capitalist. Blacks never had an equal chance to live and work to provide for their families, and this caused social tension all around. The whites never wanted anyone to be superior to them, and they began to take harsh actions against blacks because they saw the potential

African Americans had won their freedom out of slavery after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." and no longer were they seen as possessions of the slave-owners. However, during the 1900’s there were still problems that arose, which made the life for African American people to struggle and be discriminated. The term for this was called segregation. African Americans were forced to attend separate schools and other facilities. During that time, white males controlled the workforce and many African Americans could barely find any well-paying jobs and were separated and discriminated all over. But at some point notable people who were against segregation

When people think about Reconstruction what comes to their minds first is the rebuilding of the Union. For all intents and purposes, the years between 1865 and 1877 following the Civil War were about the reunification of the Northern and the Southern states and the government’s attempt to return everything back to normalcy. This time was about letting the southern states join the United States again. However the issue that was also happening at the time was the issue of emancipation. After the Civil War, black slaves were freed and made American citizens. However, as proven by history, the struggles of black people were only just beginning. During this period of Reconstruction, black people would face many obstacles and challenges as they integrated into American life. Indeed, the hate crimes and attempts by the government and the media to dehumanize black people was rampant during this time.

The fight for African American equality has been present throughout the course of American history. In the years following the Civil War, tensions were high between the two races, allowing for a series of issues to arise. The Reconstruction Era addressed the inequality and attempted to provide aid to the struggling African Americans, however many factors limited the government’s ability to do anything. Reconstruction failed in its goals to provide social, political and economic equality for African Americans in the years following the Civil War. Reconstruction tried to address the challenges that African Americans were facing, but racism was still rooted in these efforts.

The Reconstruction era (1865-1877) was a period of excitement for ex-slaves because they were declared free American citizens. However, all their expectations of freedom were not fulfilled as soon they expected because of the conflict their new freedom bore between them and their former masters. In this discussion, the focus of Eric Foner on the Reconstruction will be compared with that of P. Downs and Scott Nesbitt to get a clearer understanding of the occurrences of the period using their works. The chapter “What is Freedom?: Reconstruction” by Foner focuses on what freedom meant to ex-slaves and the conflicts that resulted from the declaration of black freedom during the Reconstruction. On the other hand, the digital history project,

Reconstruction was an era that was intended to be beneficial towards the North and South, as well as both the black and white communities. During the Reconstruction era, the North was supposed to have the South outlaw slavery, as well as teach them to treat African Americans as equals. After this, they would allow the South to rejoin the North. The north was also responsible for the South in line and not allowing them to go back to their old ways. Unfortunately, this did not work out, as circumstances became significantly worse over time. Soon, a new form of slavery began, and both racism and discrimination against the African American community grew worse. Instead of accomplishing their goals, the North stopped caring, which led to the failure

Reconstruction is a standout amongst the most turbulent and disputable periods in American history, started amid the Civil War and finished in 1877. It saw America's initially explore in interracial vote based system. Similarly as the destiny of servitude was key to the importance of the Civil War, so the disruptive legislative issues of Reconstruction turned on the status the previous slaves would accept in the rejoined country. Vital to Reconstruction was the exertion of previous slaves to inhale full significance into their recently obtained opportunity, and to guarantee their rights as natives. As opposed to latent casualties of the activities of others, African Americans were dynamic operators in molding Reconstruction.

Before Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, African-American’s did not have an ounce of autonomy. Slaves were forced to work for free and endure an

In 1865, the Civil War came to an end. It was a disaster to the South with plantations burned, towns destroyed, fields neglected, and railroads and bridges ruined. Because of this, many white southerners were homeless and faced starvation. Most importantly, millions of slaves were free because of the Emancipation of Proclamation, but people didn’t know what to do with so many freedmen suddenly, and the African Americans had no idea how to make a living for themselves. Many of them roamed around the countryside, sleeping on the bare ground, and all they had were the clothes they wore. Because of these disarrays and disruptions in the South, political leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and the radical Republicans all proposed plans to help solve the problems of rights of freedmen, readmission of southern states, and land ownerships in the South. Although reconstruction policies changed the rights of African Americans by granting black men suffrage and allowing them to gain education, they continued to experience racial violence just as before the reconstruction period. Furthermore, the South continued to remain primarily agrarian as shown by the system of sharecropping.