Reconstruction Goals For African Americans

One of the major goals of the American Civil Rights movement was to give all people regardless of race, equal rights. In the United States, civil rights are supposed to be for all people. Throughout history, people have had to fight for their rights when others tried to deny them. Today, all people enjoy the benefits of civil rights advocates. The fight for civil rights is still an important one. The NAACP changed the progress of civil rights, and their actions are still evident today.

It seemed as though black people were finally starting to be recognized as actual people. According to the article “Reconstruction” on the website ushistory.org it says, “Under federal bayonets,blacks, including those who had recently been freed, received the right to vote, hold political offices, and become judges and police chiefs.” African Americans were finally able to hold some type of power in political offices and could have jobs of importance, however, many Southerners were angered by black people having this new sense of freedom. From the same article it says, “Many Southern whites could not accept the idea that former slaves could not only vote but hold office. It was this era that the Ku Klux Klan was born.” Douglass’s dream of equality was starting to slip away with white supremacists discriminating against black people. To this day, there is still racism and discrimination among not only African Americans but all races and this goal of equality has yet to be reached and may not be achieved ever.

History helps shape the future and what we can learn from it to make sure that we do not repeat the same mistakes. During Reconstruction, the country was trying to make amends after the war was over. The country needed to find a way to mend a broken nation because it was divided. The main issue during reconstruction was the status of African Americans because they wanted their civil rights, but could not get that. The question that needs to be answered is: who did the most to aid the cause of African American during Reconstruction, and why? Many organizations and people helped African Americans, but the Freedman’s Bureau did the most.

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

Reconstruction did not help African Americans move closer to the American Dream. Even though there were positives, there were also negatives. Due to Reconstruction, hate groups started, there was not any safety for African Americans, and the Black Codes or Jim Crow laws. One of the most infamous hate groups to rise was the Klu Klux Klan. KKK for short. African Americans were terrorized by this group. They are responsible for many hangings, burnings, and other horrors that were inflicted upon African Americans. Also, there was not any safety from the groups. It was not like being in the center of a city was going to help. There are unfortunately many pictures of African Americans being hanged in very populated areas. Also, there was the rise of Black Codes(Jim Crow laws). It is like how the saying goes, out of the frying pan and into the fire. Some of the codes, but not limited to, was the Grandfather clause, which basically said that if your grandfather could not vote, you cannot vote. There were also many other ways that African Americans were restricted from voting. There was poll tax, and unfair evaluations of voting tests. This also included segregation of schools (separate but equal). There was even a law forbidding a white person from marrying a black person. However, even though all of these horrific things came because the end of slavery,

The era of Reconstruction was supposed to be a positive turning point for the United States. The North and the Confederacy was fighting to see who was gone represented the South. After the North beat the South there were a lot of hopes of the nation moving forward together, The south didn’t agree with the plan and wasn’t corporative. These Documents shows the struggles and views for the North and South, American Horizons; Louis Hughes, "Thirty Years a Slave: From Bondage to Freedom," 1897: Letter to Colonization Society 1880: The Social Principle among a People, Reconstruction, 1875; and Equal Suffrage 1865. During, the Reconstruction era there was a failed attempt to bring the Nation together; there were some positive came from the Reconstruction and also some negative.

Although the reconstruction did unify the United States and passed the 14th and 15th amendments, reconstruction failed on many other vital issues. The radical republican legislation that promised freedom and equality for all was far from a reality for black Americans. Legislation failed to protect former slaves from white supremacy, and persecution. The entire social and cultural backbone of the south needed reform in order for African Americans to enjoy the freedom and equality that this nation promised, unfortunately this change did not come during the reconstruction. In 1877 president Hayes removed federal troops from the south, almost immediately former confederates and slave owners returned

The goal of reconstruction was initially to punish the south and refurbish a new and better america and not to continue its cruel ways. Reconstruction is the time were immediately after the War in which the federal government set the conditions that would allow the rebellious Southern states back into the Union. There were Southerners siding the Johnson's support, attempting to restore slavery. But at the end each state was required to set forth to the 13th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution, which granted freedom and political rights of blacks.

Many people have different feelings towards the reconstruction era. But the reconstruction era was a success in some terms and a fail in other terms too. The reconstruction era did help most of the blacks during the time where they were going through slavery. The difference between the democrats and the republicans is they have different views in many topics and one being the reconstruction era. During the reconstruction era, there were tensions and conflicts that occurred like the Political conflicts and the Ku Klux Klan. The reconstruction era caused a good change during that time for the people that lived in the south states. For example, it allowed African American slaves to receive some freedom and gave them many opportunities. It allowed the fifteen amendment to happen so it

The Reconstruction Era of 1865-1877 proved to be one of triumph and disappointments for many. The end of the Civil War brought on feelings of freedom and the vision of great things on the horizon for slaves. At the same time, feelings of despair and that the Civil War was a “lost cause” was a common feeling among many white Americans.

My first main point to why the reconstion was nota big success was the jim crow laws or black code. The Jim crow laws was a group of laws that limita the right of form slaves. For example when requried they must presnt licenes, as seen in document 3.Another example is the color contracting for sevice were to be knew as servants and tose with whom they contracted as master also seen in document .The last example of jim crow laws was that blacks and whites could not be in any type of

After the Civil War ended, the United States began to reconstruct its broken Union. However, this renewal failed very severely. The primary reason for this was that it was more deeply rooted in the history of the United States and filled with American sectional and race relations. Many white Americans were not capable to recognize that blacks were equal beings too because they mostly had considered them as being lesser beings. This feeling caused the Reconstruction to fail.

The Reconstruction era was put into effect by Congress in 1866 and lasted until 1877. Reconstruction was aimed at reorganizing the Southern states after the Civil War. The reconstruction plan granted the means for readmitting the southern states into the Union, and tried to come up with the methods by which whites and blacks could live together in a non-slave society. America's position as a country was established on principles of freedom but those beliefs were weakened by slavery. At the end of the Civil War, many blacks felt that they were entitled to start collecting the benefits that had been denied for so many years. Being able to vote, own land and have a voice in political affairs were all goals that they believed were reachable.

Well in the period of the reconstruction which was during the year of (1865-1877) many African Americans were freed. During this time their life was greatly affected with mixed emotions due to the fact that they had their ups and downs and it was a time of a reconstruction and a time of disappointment.

The Reconstruction Era was the rebuilding of the south after the civil war. The president andrew johnson had passed the laws known as the “Black codes” to control a lot of what former slaves and African Americans do. The 13, 14 and 15th amendments were freeing the African Americans and also giving their rights back. Such as not being segregated anymore and the right to vote. These also helped African Americans have a political voice for the first time in history. These amendments are very important to the rebuilding of the south.