Changes During Reconstruction Research Paper

The original purpose of Reconstruction was to restore the buildings and the economy of the south the best they could, but without the immoral element of slavery. But, reconstruction under the Johnson Presidency was a failure for a few reasons: 1) Convict Leasing, 2) Sharecropping, 3) the Ku Klux Klan, 4) Segregation in schools, even in the North, 5) Carpetbaggers/Scalawags, 6) misleading statistics, and 7) racism.

After the conclusion of America’s Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln pitched the idea of “Reconstruction,” which would bring the southern states back into the Union. President Lincoln, according to many radical Republicans, was too gentle on the south. The government was divided on how to solve the issue of readmitting the southern states back into the Union. In addition to that, the government was not certain on what rights to enumerate to the newly emancipated slaves. These issues became more difficult to solve after President Lincoln was murdered. Lincoln’s successor, Vice President Andrew Johnson, was a Tennessee Democrat that lacked respect of the Republican Congress. The legislative and executive branches of the American government

The differences between both presidents was that Lincoln wanted equality for all and wanted reconstruction of both South and North states. While Lincoln felt that way about how the North and South should act with equality, Johnson believed the Union should stay intact but, give slaves limited opportunities. Johnson’s view made many citizens dislike him because of slavery and what states should agree with what. The government knew that with Johnson as President nothing would come out of him being in the presidency because instead of reuniting the nations he was parting them in different ways.

Reconstruction was a hard time for the south. Many people in the south relied on slaves to do most of their work for them, now that the slaves are free the previous slave owners must do much of the reconstruction work themself, or pay African Americans to do it. In the writing, “Reconstruction” author Paul Lagasse states, “The physical destruction wrought by the invading Union forces was enormous, and the old social and economic order founded on slavery had collapsed completely, with nothing to replace it.(Par1). Before the war had even came to and end president Abraham Lincoln prepared for a plan to carry out the reconstruction of the south. This became known as Lincoln's Plan. In Lincoln's plan he stated that the South never legally succeeded

Abraham Lincoln’s views on reconstruction were that the south had never actually seceded, and this made his plan full of compassion and fault. Some may argue

What would the world be like if Abraham Lincoln lived? The western cities such as Denver and phoenix would be home to free slaves and maybe even perhaps a blacker middle class. Lincoln would have better managed the aftermath of the civil war.

During the reconstruction period after the Civil War Radical Republicans fought for the freedpeople on a political level. They believed that the blacks deserved the same freedom and political rights as the whites. The Radicals resonated closest with President Lincoln and his views which were similar, but not limited to his words in his second inaugural address; “let us strive to finish the work...to bind up the nation’s wounds.”1 The radicals had some similar views to the moderate Republicans, however, they took it a step farther and wanted to completely uproot the current economic and social system; “but most considered the South a new frontier to be conquered culturally, politically, and economically.”2 Their main objectives were to advocate suffrage and voting rights along with the redistribution of land to the freed slaves.

I think the most important problem the government faced in Reconstruction was racial violence and intimidation. In the South, white people will continue to hold on to their racist ideas and beliefs. White supremacist groups, lynchings, and race riots will continue to cause problems for the freed slaves of the South. Another problem is dealing with the absence of cheap labor the slaves provided in the Antebellum. Instead of giving freed slaves a fair job, white landowners will force them into new kinds of slavery like sharecropping and logging camps? I predict that it will take a long time for the South to heal and get back on its feat economically.

How did slaves rights change in the South during the reconstruction era? Well, they didn’t, not by much, at least. The era after the Civil War was known as reconstruction. The Civil War was fought by the North wanting equal rights for everyone, most specifically equal rights African American slaves in the South and the South not wanting for that to happen. The North wanted all people to have the same rights. For everyone to be treated equally, no more discrimination. Slaves in the South were being treated poorly and living conditions were horrible. The North wanted to change that, which is the reason why the Civil War was fought.

The social conditions were slightly more developed, however. Organizations like the Freedmen’s Bureau worked to educate and care for African-Americans. It worked to get them land and money, as well as financial help (Doc. E). Never before were blacks educated with government permission like this. The Freedmen’s Bureau was probably the most revolutionary social feat during Reconstruction. Other than that, social progress wasn’t very developed. Share croppers and other black laborers were treated poorly like

There is a subject matter that is at crossroads right now. We know that Reconstruction means to rebuilt, re-gain and to improve. The Reconstruction era was in the time period of 1863-1877. To re-built from something, one has to be destroyed in some sense. That “destruction” was the Civil War of 1861 to 1865. Through these four long years, there was huge separation and debate on slaveholding. The North fought for the belief and want to free slaves while the south didn’t. In 1860 President Lincoln was elected, Abraham Lincoln believed and wanted the best for our great country. In 1862 he issued his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, in which declared that all slaves in states in rebellion against the Union "shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.". This meant slaves in states in rebellion and authorizes the enlistment of black troops. President Lincoln's proposed plan for reconstructing the Union was to

If Lincoln hadn’t died, a question that every student has come across while learning about the civil war, but what if he hadn’t died had reconstruction would had been better? Had former slaves gained better civil rights? Although these questions have no real answers and all we can come with are speculations, in Eric Foner’s essay he seems to address these questions with some acceptable reasons that made me come to the conclusion that if Lincoln hadn’t been assassinated the period of reconstruction would have been better than it was under Johnson.

Before his assassination, Lincoln had great plans for the United States and its period of Reconstruction. Lincoln’s ideas were unable to be fulfilled because in his place came Andrew Johnson, who held opposing views with Lincoln since he was a Southern Democrat, and was also openly unwilling to support any plans that granted slaves civil equality. Today, many wonder how history would be different if Abraham Lincoln was not assassinated, and what he would have included in his “farewell address”. In his Gettysburg Address, Lincoln addressed the fact that the war was not fought for nothing, and that the lives that were lost served for the freedom and equality of the country. In this speech, he makes the people of America feel proud to be American, and gives them a reason as to why they are fighting. Later, when he is once again re-elected, in his Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln states that the Civil War in a sense brought them together, and together they will reconstruct the country and live in peace and harmony. Looking at these two speeches, it can be inferred that if Lincoln had lived, in his “farewell address” he might have talked about how far they had come, and restate how unified they were stronger, and with equality amongst them, the American people had peace, he would also thank them for their trust and belief in him. As for the

Something that President Johnson did to start the period of Reconstruction was to pardon all Confederates soldiers if they plead loyalty and alliance to the Union. No one was held accountable for what happened, one man was murder. Also he demanded that the states in the south abolish slavery and change their constitution in order to be accepted into the United States. Those were Andrew Johnson terms for Reconstructions. Not very efficient because it leaves all these defeated soldiers, filled with anger and violence in the streets. Then Congress tried to pass the Civil Rights bill and the 14th amendment which

After Reconstruction the south reverted back to the way it was with slavery, plantations, and the North still in the north. The new form of slavery still looked much like the old; it just had a different name. The south said that they were doing it for the betterment of all, but they just wanted things the way they had been. Now, though, they