The Reconstruction: A Documentary History of the South after the War by James P. Shenton

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.

Foner’s A Short History of Reconstruction verifies the authors prevailing leadership in historical revisionism. His extensive knowledge alters the scrutiny of the historical standpoint, stimulating students and intellectuals to reconsider the assumptions of prominent reconstruction works from foregoing eras such as those that influenced our understanding of the Reconstruction era. Furthermore, Foner advises intellectuals to continue to uncover neglected experiencesof the one of the most phenomenal eras in American history. Foner’s text provides a critical scheme for a more

During the Reconstruction period, beginning in 1865, the United States entered a period in which they mended relationships between the North and the South. It was also a period of hostility between both sides. The war had ended and the Southerners’ had suffered plenty of damage to their land. The Reconstruction period was a time which the South was rebuilt with the integration of all the newly freed blacks into society. This particular collection I chose by Thomas Nast called “Franchise. But not this man?” and “Pardon” are depicted during the Reconstruction. This collection was printed in the Harper’s Weekly, a very popular Union newspaper during the Civil War. An analysis of the images depict the common beliefs shared by

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 Reconstruction time period, 1865 through 1877, was a complex time for America. The southern part of the nation was in need of governmental, economical, and social repair after losing the Civil War. Radical Republicans, Democrats, and newly freed African Americans all were influential in the age of Reconstruction. Historians have struggled to put into words exactly what Reconstruction incorporates and precisely what the motives of the different groups of people were. Renowned American historian, Eric Foner, is a professor at Columbia University. He has written many books concerning the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. Eric Foner’s Reconstruction theory

The Civil war was the most momentous and crucial period of time in the history of America. Not only did this war bring an end to slavery but also paved way for numerous social and political changes. The country had already been torn by the negative trend in race relations and the numerous cases of slave uprisings were taking their toll on the country 's political and social structure. The country was predominately divided up into 3 sections, the North, the South, and the West. Each of these groups had different fundamental interests. The North wanted economies depending on farming, factories and milltowns, while the West relied on expansion and development of land for farming and new towns. The South mainly relied on agriculture like

The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were passed to protect feed people’s natural rights. This process of protecting was the whole concept of “reconstructing America”. At first a majority of the states did not agree with these new laws, but by 1870, all of the former Confederate states had accepted them and were admitted into the union once again. Once Reconstruction ended in 1877, society slowly went back to a strong racist background and former slaves were once again in servitude. This time, even harsher discrimination against the Blacks were introduced by enforcing state segregation. Reconstruction only caused the nation to become worse.

When Reconstruction began in 1865, a broken America had just finished fighting the Civil War. In all respects, Reconstruction was a time period of

D.G.: Good evening. My name is Dan Gorman. Like many of you, I didn’t learn much about Reconstruction in high school. I had a wonderful teacher who did much to show the nuances of American history, such as the effects of states’ rights and slavery on the Civil War. Still, my teacher, along with the A.P. exam, the state curriculum, and our textbooks, moved quickly past Reconstruction. I assumed that, aside from the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments and some Ku Klux Klan violence, there wasn’t much else to the story, that

The background of an individual allows the individual to adapt to new circumstances no matter how radical the change may be. It is very apparent that in the book, A Year in the South: Four Lives in 1865, that people whether they were black or white suffered different hardships, however their background was what enabled them to succeed or fail after the war. There were four people which this book was focused upon: Louis Hughes, who

After the triumph of the Union came to Reconstruction. Reconstruction was in the time range of 1865-1877. President Lincoln,the former president of the Union, was assassinated ,afterward, Vice President Andrew Johnson became president. As a result of Lincoln not having a play by play action on paper as to what he was going to rebuild or reconstruct the Union, Andrew was left without an idea on what to do. Reconstructing the Union left many questions such as, what labor would take place if there were no slaves and what kind of rights would the 4 million freedmen get. I subjectively believe that the reconstruction was a failure with a few good things hidden in between . In this essay, I will detail my own plans for Reconstruction.

Most people believes that the South win in the period reconstruction with many different ways. The Reconstruction is a revolutionary movement of the United States. It changes aspects in history of the United States. It occurs after the American Civil War. The Reconstruction is one of the most controversial period America’s history. That is the period the South gets more benefit than the North. In my opinion, the most win of the South is that it has strengthened democracy about political, economic and societal security. I feel this way for three reasons, which I will explore in the following essay.

When it comes to reconstruction the south after the war I would do three things. The three things as followed rebuild houses, rebuild the railroads, and help share croppers grow crops. Rebuilding houses would be the first thing on my list to reconstruct concerning the south. I would do this by using recycle materials and the help of the community. This is important because people need a safe and clean place to live. Rebuilding the railroads system is the second thing on my list to help reconstruct the south after war. This is important because it is needed to transport goods, food, and material from state to state. Finally, I would help share croppers grow crops. During the war all of the crops were destroyed and it’s important to reproduced

Reconstruction did not come to a complete end at 1877; the effects of the war have listed for generations, even until today. This is evident in the most recent chapter of Davidson and Lytle’s After The Fact: The Art of Historical Detection, which delves into the story of the millions of slaves that had recently been freed following the end of the American Civil War in 1865 through interviews of thousands of former slaves in the 1930s. Throughout the chapter, the authors explore the themes of deception and mistrust in both history and its re-telling in accounts of former slaves, plantation owners, and Union soldiers.