Changes During Reconstruction Research Paper

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

Lincoln and Johnson both supported the Ten Percent plan abolishing slavery. The Ten Percent plan allowed each rebellious state to return to the Union as soon as 10 % of it’s voters had taken an oath and the state had approved the Thirteenth amendment. Johnson lacked moral sense and political judgment. He was a war democrat who disagreed with Republicans. Lincoln wanted to help the South rejoin the Union but the Union was his primary concern and he wanted it done on his terms. Johnson angered many when he spoke of being harsh on Southern planters but allied with ex confederate leaders, even giving them pardons. They felt Confederates were rising back up into power

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.

Reconstruction is the period of rebuilding the south that succeeded the Civil War (1861-1865). This period of time is set by the question now what? The Union won the war and most of the south was destroyed. Devastation, buildings turned into crumbles and lost crops. The South was drowning in poverty. To worsen the situation there were thousands of ex-slaves that were set free by the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13 Amendment. "All these ex-slaves", Dr. Susan Walens commented, "and no place to put them," The ex-slaves weren't just homeless but they had no rights, unlike white man. The government and congress had to solve the issues present in the south and the whole nation

Just imagine that you were born when slavery was allowed in the United States. Better yet, imagine yourself as an African American/ black and being born into slavery. What would you do? Would you try to escape to freedom or remain a slave and serve “your master” until you die or until slavery is totally abolished? Well that’s when the Reconstruction Era comes in. The Civil War was a major cause that led to the Reconstruction Era. This was due to the Union winning the war between them and the South. The end of this war was thought to give freedom, peace, and stop the suffering of slaves all over the country, but the South didn’t want to let go of slavery that easily. Reconstruction was when the South was rebuilding and also when the country

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Reconstruction in its beginning was made to reintegrate the South into the Union and to free the former slaves. From there, it impacted northerners and southerners as it went on. Some of the immediate impacts of Reconstruction were the Civil Rights Acts passed in Congress. Acts such as the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the 14th Amendment, defined and established rights for freedmen. While increases in funding to the Freedmen’s Bureau allowed them to become better educated. With these events to their advantage they were able to form communities, schools, businesses and hold offices in the South. Though as the freedmen made these gains many ex-Confederates contested it through sharecropping, political opposition, and straight out violence against freedmen. The sharecropping system occurred primarily because Reconstruction didn’t consider economic independence. Northerners mainly wanted the South to go back to being a cash crop system. They planned to remake the old plantation system with wage labor instead of