Reconstruction Dbq

It was clear to people in the late 1800s that the Civil War caused many national problems along with problems within the union. However, the Civil War assuaged many problems for the country. For example, slavery was abolished, the supremacy of the national government had been confirmed, and secession had been proved false. Some people may believe that the main reason why the congress’ reconstruction efforts to ensure equal rights to the freedmen failed was because virtually no one in America thought blacks were equal to whites. Basically it was because people still have racial thoughts; slaves didn’t get to fully acquire the meaning and prerogatives of their rights; in other words they were uneducated.

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.

The American Civil War claimed the lives of over 700,000 people. The war was fought from 1861-1865. The results of the war were described as; a union victory, abolishment of slavery, territorial integrity preserved and the destruction and dissolution of the Confederate States. The twelve years that followed were called the Reconstruction Era, 1865-1877. The purpose of the Reconstruction Era was to restore National Unity, strengthen the government, and guarantee rights to freed slaves. The reality of reconstruction though was; violence (260,000 dead), newly freed slaves suffered the most, and Lincoln's hopes of trust and rededication to peace were lost when he was assassinated on April 15th, 1865. It is these realities of the Reconstruction Era and beyond that this paper will address and how those realities affected the newly freed slaves. Life in post-bellum America for African - Americans was violent and filled with fear because of white supremacy, lynching, and the brutal mutilations of blacks.

Due to the gradual elimination of African-American rights and the withdrawal of Federal troops from the South to enforce such rights, the end of Reconstruction surfaced in 1877. In the eyes of blacks, Reconstruction was a point in history where they could see their civil rights expanding before their very own eyes. On the contrary, whites were deeply disturbed at the way their once “white supremacy” government was dwindling in the rear-view mirror behind them. This fourteen year period known as Reconstruction houses the memories of temporary freedom, scandal, backdoor deals, and the unresolved social, political, and economical issues of our country.

The period between Reconstruction and World War I was a time of tremendous social, economic, and cultural change in the United States. The end of the Civil War, the shrinking of the frontier, the rise of immigration, and the rapid growth of industry that characterized this time period brought many issues of race, class, and status to the forefront of politics. Many different opinions came to light about what it means to be an American and the dynamic between the American individual and American society. The differing answers to these questions created both divisions and unifications between different races, classes, and political parties. Through careful analysis of historical documents from the period, it is evident that society owes all individuals basic civil rights and the ability to make a living through harnessing their skills in the workplace. Conversely, the individual owes society work that benefits society as a whole and participation in government through suffrage.

With the era of American Reconstruction in America during the mid to late 1800’s came a sense of opportunity and hope for its people. America was on the move as nation, railroads being built faster than ever and the freedmen looking to find their niche in society. Although in the beginning the government provided support for these new citizens, efforts toward reconstruction faded as the years passed. Those efforts faded to a point where they were all but nonexistent, and with the unwritten Compromise of 1877, what feeble efforts that were left of reconstruction were now all but dead. Politically, reconstruction failed to provide equality by pulling Federal troops from the South, allowing former Confederate officials and slave owners

The Reconstruction of the United States was an experiment in interracial democracy. The Civil War victory by the North brought to a close the establishment of slavery but, in turn, opened Pandora's box. The questions and answers pertaining to economical, political, and social equality for freedmen had yet to be addressed on a practical level. The Southern states, still bitter from defeat and economic stresses, strongly rejected the societal transformations thrust upon them. The Northern states' focal point remained on the necessary political powers by which to enact constitutional amendments, therefore empowering the federal government with the capabilities to enforce the principles of equal rights. On paper, slavery was abolished, but in reality, African-Americans were once again enslaved on a ship without the security or knowledge of what the next port held for them. The Civil War had not truly ended. It was still active under the guise of Reconstruction, but now coats and flags of many colors existed, and battles were merely fought on alternate battlefields. A war of ideas lacking in substantial practicality resulted in repetitious battles being won and loss. The motivating forces that set Reconstruction into motion were for the most part the North's quest for unification among states', and the emancipation of slaves. However, the primary objective of Reconstruction was to grant political, economical, and social opportunities for the freedmen. The

The era of Reconstruction was a fourteen-year period following the Civil War filled with political and constitutional strife, extreme suffering, grand political ambitions and huge turns in race relations and human rights (Blight 32). During this period, many Americans realized that remembering the war “became, with time, easier than struggling over the enduring ideas for which those battles had been fought” (Blight 31). To people such as Frederick Douglass, a reborn United States could not

After the Civil War, there was a lot of rebuilding and reconstruction to be done but, nothing ever got accomplished. Personally, I think the North is at fault for the failure of reconstruction in the South because, they were concerned about blacks being a part of the government. Also, they were concerned the problems going on in their own government. Northerner’s were supposed to support the reconstruction of the South. And, they didn’t follow through with what they said they were going to do to help. So, here’s why the North is at fault.

Following the end of the American Civil War was a period known as Reconstruction, which was an attempt at rebuilding The United States. Many questions were to be answered on how to handle the relations between the Union and Confederacy, but an overriding question was how much equality would the recently freedmen experience?

The Civil Rights era was one of the most tumultuous times in American history. The country appeared at once to be striving forward for social progress and, simultaneously, coming apart at the seams. It is exactly this contradiction which drives our discussion the period known as the Second Reconstruction. Named in reference to the original Reconstruction era which succeeded the Civil War and the abolition of slavery in the South, the Second Reconstruction was akin to its namesake in the intended advance of racial equality and its concurrent effect of retrenchment of white supremacist ideologies. These opposing forces would define a period in American history rightly associated with a violent realization of long-simmering cultural conflict.

Although the Civil War of 1865 has ended and African Americans were given their freedom due to the Union Victory, conflict was still arising. Reconstruction was a major “milestone” as some would say in our history. Reconstruction gave light to the trials and tribulations that were apart of the south. Pre civil war south was known for their rigorous amount of slaves and their labor, post civil war south was known for their resistance against freed slaves and their soon to be citizenship. In Johnsons (2012) Reading the American Past Vol 2: from 1865, readers are exposed to a number of excerpts from this era that may or may not shed unseen light on this crucial period in history. Carl Schurz Reports on the Condition of the Defeated South, Black Codes Enacted in the South, Former Slaves Seek to Reunite Their Families and Klan Violence against Blacks are documents that allow readers to see first hand what was endured by many in the reconstruction era of 1863-1877.

Reconstruction has been called the second greatest crisis faced by the United States of America, the first being the Civil War. The war had been won, but now the American government and people faced the challenge of rebuilding everything that had been torn down into a new nation. Many difficulties were faced, and in some ways the war continued to be fought. This time, everything from the courthouse to the bus seats served as the battleground. The nation was demanding change, and yet was unwilling to create it. Illustrating the rollercoaster of victories and defeats that was Reconstruction, W.E.B. Du Bois said, “The slave went free, stood a brief moment in the sun, then moved back again towards slavery”. For African Americans, change was painstakingly gradual and often seemed to far to ever arrive, but was nonetheless closer than ever before. Reconstruction was a failure to a mixed extent, initially yielding signs of social and political improvement in the lives of African Americans, but showing mostly negative effects in the long term, such as unfavorable economic developments and the triggering of a vicious response from white extremists that repealed much of the progress formerly made.

Following the Civil War came a period of regrowth and rebuilding known as Reconstruction. Reconstruction can be broken into different sections and types, one of which is Congressional, or Radical, Reconstruction. There are many scholarly debates about Congressional Reconstruction and its failures, successes, and its overall logistics. Another common debate concerning the Reconstruction period is its purpose and what the intentions of its instigators were. This paper will be discussing an article written by Frederick Douglass entitled Reconstruction. In this article Douglass discusses the Congressional session taking place in 1866. He calls upon the Congressmen to undo the "blunders" of the previous

But it was only one of the dramatic changes that shaped the United States in 1865. Four years of civil war––by far the single bloodiest conflict in American history––finally drew to a close. The Union Army victorious, politicians now faced the question of how to reunite a shattered nation. And still, another change was emerging––one that would not be decided by violence and bloodshed, but that would have just as dramatic an effect in redefining America’s social, political, and economic life. The time had finally come to address America’s original sin––the legal question of slavery’s abolition would finally be resolved.