Essay on Could Reconstruction Have Been More Successful

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 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

In “Reconstruction Revisited”, Eric Foner reexamines the political, social, and economic experiences of black and white Americans in the aftermath of the Civil War. With the help of many historian works, Foner gives equal representation to both sides of the Reconstruction argument.

After the Civil War, America was still amidst great turmoil and economic instability. During this time period, the ultimate goal for Americans was to seize the “American Dream”. This was defined by most as being able to support their family and live a comfortable life. Although some did achieve this, many faced social, political and economic hardships. Beginning with the unjust treatment of African-Americans, then the struggles of immigrants, and followed by the rise of big businesses, the challenges faced during this time of rebuilding varied among the classes.

Reconstruction was a time period of major change in the United States of America for both African Americans and White citizens. After the Civil War, the reconstruction process started out as a failure, but over the years turned into a huge success because of how African Americans were able to live normal lives. Overall, Reconstruction was a success because freedom and growth of equality for African Americans was increased greatly.

Reconstruction did more harm than good to the United States. There was anger, tension, and division that came out of Reconstruction. Also, there was debt, poverty, political conflicts, and African-American struggles. Some political problems were Andrew Johnson’s relationship with Congress which led to his impeachment trial. Another problem was that Confederates worked their way back into office. The main problem in Reconstruction was freeing slaves into society. This is justified by black codes, the creation of the KKK, rise of other white supremacy groups, and the Compromise of 1877, which led to the downfall of African American rights. This was the beginning of allowing racism into society.

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

The North was determined to give blacks the right to vote, which did more harm than good. The Union tried in vain to perfect Southern politics by passing amendments and military power, but it sparked hostility toward black voters and leaders, which unfortunately led to the segregated South. Congress strayed from President Johnson and created five military districts in 1867 to govern the South until their state constitutions approved Africans Americans rights, including the right to vote (Doc A). The Fifteenth Amendment passed in February 1870 gave all the male citizens of the United States the right to vote (Doc F). However, this topic seemed easier said than done. Many called for the amendment to ban deception that some Southern governments

Reconstruction efforts were complicated. After Lincoln's assassination, President Andrew Johnson favored legislation placating the South and the former Confederacy and returning property to prewar owners (History.com Staff, "Carpetbaggers & Scalawags"). Using his pardoning powers, Johnson restored virtually all political rights to most Confederates. Southern states balked when forced to repeal

However, there are many who say Reconstruction was a success, especially on equal rights to freed African-Americans. The Thirteenth Amendment is a success because it banned slavery or involuntary servitude and could be enforced by congress with legislation. (Doc 1) The audience that this amendment was addressing was African-Americans who were now free. Another success during Reconstruction was the 14th amendment. This amendment guaranteed

Andrew Johnson became the next president but clearly did not follow Lincoln's views and policies. While Johnson supported the restoration of the seceded states, he had views opposing Radical Republicans and vetoed several bills. His outline for Reconstruction did not include giving protection to former slaves and often conflicted with the Republican-dominated Congress, which ultimately led to his impeachment by the House of Representatives. Johnson wanted the seceded states to hold their own conventions and elections to recreate their own governments. This led to many Southern states returning to their old leaders and policies.

With the death of the leader of the country, Lincoln, and the incompetence of his successor, Johnson, the Reconstruction was made more difficult. This coupled with the overall difficulty of enforcing the Reconstruction meant that it was destined to fail. However, these are not the only factors that went into its failure. There are countless reasons for its failure, three of the most prevalent being the continuing belief of the inferiority of African Americans, the formation of white leagues set out to keep slavery and discrimination alive, and the weakening of the government on Reconstruction policies. Reconstruction was built on hope and good ideas.

Reconstruction was both a failure and a success. It was a success because it saw black people who were once slaves freed and they now had some rights. Racism was still big and the majority of the United States of America didn’t see black people as equals, but it was still better than being a slave and having one person control every aspect of your life such as who you marry, what you learn when you work and even how you died. Freedom and basic rights were the biggest success of reconstruction, for reconstruction had many more failures such as sharecropping, the rise of the KKK going unchecked, a lot of infighting in politics and just a lot of back and forth because people, not just the south didn’t want to change. The Fourteenth Amendment

During a time of convolution and commotion, every citizen had a different answer to inquiries about the essence of liberty and equal opportunity. Because of these differences, Reconstruction was legislatively a victory, but socially and economically a catastrophe. Although the successes of Reconstruction were few, the impact created set the foundation for movements to come. Initially, from 1865 to 1866, President Johnson’s Reconstruction-

America was divided in two, the south; which promoted the act of slavery and the north; where individuals encouraged the abolishment of the discriminating structure. Despite the differing opinions of the two regions, ‘Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee [...] sought readmission to the union’ knowing that they were agreeing to the abolishment of slavery under the Thirteenth Amendment; which abolished slavery, Fourteenth Amendment; that stated all persons born in the states were American citizens and finally the Fifteenth Amendment which highlighted that the a citizen’s right to vote should not be denied, thus achieving one of the aims of Reconstruction.