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Similarities Between The Civil War And Reconstruction

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The Civil War sparked a new era of Reconstruction in America. This era was meant to change the everyday life of America and to allow African Americans to become a part of America. Though reconstruction started out with good intentions, it is considered a massive failure in almost every area. As a result of the Civil War and Reconstruction, American society experienced drastic political change in participation government while keeping social and economic structures the same. The Civil War and Reconstruction both changed politics in terms of participation and the role of the federal government. To start off, the African American population was allowed to vote which increased participation in the government. This was because of the 15th amendment which made it illegal to deny a person’s right to vote because of the color of the skin or their previous condition of servitude. This meant that men who were African American could legally vote and hold office which greatly increased the amount of political participation in the government. In certain states in the South, African Americans even outnumbered the white people in voter registration. Before the Civil War, African Americans couldn’t vote because most were slaves and there were laws prohibiting black people from voting. Even free African Americans weren’t allowed to vote. However, because of the Civil War and in turn Reconstruction, African Americans were given the right to vote, greatly expanding the diversity of

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