The Reconstruction Era

92. In 1865 an appointment was held between representatives of an African American community in Savannah, Georgia and Edwin Staunton, Secretary of War, and Major General Sherman concerning topics of the freedman in Georgia. Land was set aside, 40 acres, and a mule that could no longer be used by the Army to establish a community of their own.

Based on the claims that we must meet to end reconstruction, I believe we are not ready. The era we are in now is where men, women, and children of all races join, or rejoin. Based off of this there are three components that must be met, for reconstruction to be successful, they are that southern states who were in the rebellion have successfully fulfilled the requirements of the Reconstruction Acts, they are in “good faith” when implementing the 13th , 14th , and 15th Amendments within their states, and when federal oversight through military occupation is no longer needed. After the southern states have showed that they can do this, the we should remove Federal Troops from southern states, and hand over the

In 1865-1877, Reconstruction was the federal governments pursuit to untangle the problems resulting after the Civil War. in my opinion, the Reconstruction era was a failure despite the few accomplishments.It failed simply because the Congress did not protect blacks from the Ku Klux Klan, the black codes limited "blacks" from mostly everything, and the Compromise of 1877 removed troops causing "blacks" to suffer.

The other major race that suffered during this time was African Americans. They had previously been released from slavery, but now they were facing social injustice. Jim Crow laws, were formed, which created stereotypes about blacks being inferior to the white race once again. White bathrooms, and water fountains were constructed along with separation in schools between the races. African Americans “were denied the most basic freedom that democracy promises”(Alexander) under these laws. Everywhere people went separation was found among the whites, and blacks. By creating these laws the American government set the process for the unity of the races backwards. People did not have the opportunity to unite because they were bound by law to be separated. This era created separation of the races, from the very beginning. The government, and white Americans were only concerned about their well-being, and therefore, separated themselves from anyone, and anything that they felt would harm their success and power.

The Reconstruction Era was a period in American history distinguished by the efforts of many to rebuild the South after the end of the Civil War. Following the end of the Civil War, the South was left in an abominable state. Railroad tracks were ruined, homes were destroyed and even previously large bustling cities such as Charleston, Richmond, and Fredericksburg were left devastated. Economically, the South continued to fall since Southern money was now useless. Because it was essential to repair the South and reunite the Nation, Lincoln started the Reconstruction (1865-1877). These efforts, however, were in vain since the Reconstruction was a failure. Black Codes, secret societies restricted the rights of Blacks and the South continued to

Between 1860 and 1877, the era of reconstruction in America had been ineffably prominent with societal and constitutional change. Between achievements such as the Freedmen’s Bureau of 1865, helping recently freed slaves, to the 14th amendment establishing a set equal rights, multiple advancements to the country had been created. While the dilemmas of the reconstruction period were often caused by the Northern versus Southern ideals after fighting a bloody Civil War, or tackling racial inequality, the question of constitutionality of the era’s laws were regarded as the essential piece to the time’s strife. Moreover, there was often argument if whether the federal government, morally and constitutionality, was privileged to decide on laws not explicitly stated in the Constitution. Supporters of federal government heavy ruling often debated with those in support of sovereign states, leading to deeper issues then who was creating rules. Important topics of the era like allowing state government to decide on race issues such as black suffrage, or the enforcement of the Black Codes started at the root of power. With these adverse differences in who should first hold and manifest the power of the nation, great revolutionary debates, ideals, and attacks transpired. These various constitutional and social evolutions catalyzed into a revolution regarding the state and federal power in the nation.

After the Civil War came to an end and the military conflict had ended, the Reconstruction period started, which was in many ways still a war. This vital battle was waged by radical northerners who wanted to chastise the South and Southerners who badly wanted to preserve their way of life. The Reconstruction period was a time of great pain and endless questions. What was to be the place of freed blacks in the South? Did Abolition mean that black men would now enjoy the same status as white men?9 At the dawn of the 20th century, nine out of ten African Americans lived in the South. Jim Crow laws of segregation ruled the land. The Supreme Court upheld the power of the Southern states to create two "SEPARATE BUT EQUAL" societies with its 1896

During the time of the reconstruction era it had many effects on many different people, the whites and blacks, although it had different effects on the two races, for the blacks it coulda gone either way, good or bad, but in my opinion it did more bad than good. The Reconstruction era was the time immediately after the civil war that would let the the southern states back into the Union during the reconstruction era, the President at the time, Abraham Lincoln had appointed Military governors to bring back governments into the southern states. During all of this time the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), which is a white supremacy group, wanted the opposite to happen, they wanted all blacks to suffer and them to have no rights.The Ku Klux Klan got their start as a fraternal organization on December 24th, 1865, the KKK in the state of tennessee, with the military and freedom voting behind the KKK the became known as a political organization. Now under the Reconstruction Act the blacks became freed and because of that they began taking over the white people farms by slowly pushing them out because they began to claim land for themselves, which in my opinion probably made the whites hate the blacks even more.

Established in the latter part of the 15th century, slavery was first introduced by Portuguese tradesman as an economic force based on free labor. In the course of 400 years, 600,000 slaves were brought to North America from Africa. With the adaptation of technology such as the Cotton gin became prominent in the agricultural regions of America, the slaves became an established economic factor. The market for free labor was territorial as over 90% of the total slaves were in the South. The Reconstruction period demonstrated the nation’s attempts to resolve social and political issues in postbellum America. While the Reconstruction era did contribute positively to blacks, the movement failed to bring about equality or basic human rights. Under

America was in disarray following the events of the Civil War. Southern economy was in shambles while congress was struggling to find a middle ground between the radical republicans and Lincoln’s lenient policies. Many Southerners faced the aftermath of uprooting their society and their way of life while thousands of newly freed slaves struggled to find a way to support themselves. The country needed a strong leader, however on the 14th of April, 1865 President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in the Ford Theatre in Washington (Farmer). Without the man that had once held the nation together, the country now faced an enormous obstacle; reconstructing American economics, politics and social life.

The Reconstruction Era after the Civil War was a headway for progress. Blacks thought that the Civil War Amendments which banned slavery, defined citizenship, and ensured voting rights would finally give them a chance to advance in society. These amendments proved to be ineffective when white supremacist Democrats took over, threatening blacks participation in voting and politics. The Black Codes laws were passed in several southern states during 1865 and 1866, which emphasized tax polls and literacy requirements that restricted blacks’ freedom.

By definition, the American Dream is “the traditional social ideals of the US, such as equality, democracy, and material prosperity.” Many events from past decades, surrounding the idea of Civil Rights, have changed America’s idea of the definition of the American Dream. Out of many time period, I am going to compare the American Revolutionary War, the Reconstruction Era, and the Progressive Era on how each period affected the change of the idea of Civil Rights in the American Dream.

After the infamous American Civil War concluded on May 9, 1865, many advancements were made for the next 35 years that shaped the nation into what it is today. A large portion of these contributions are credited to African Americans, who have impacted American history through migration, politics, military, education, and innovation. --

At a time when America was trying to piece itself back together, the Reconstruction Era is one of the most important chapters in history. It is also, however, one of the most debated. After the Civil War, the South was devastated and thousands of freed slaves needed to be integrated into society. When Andrew Johnson took office, he was moderate in his views as to what should happen to restore order to the United States. However, some Republicans had other plans in mind. They wanted to impose harsher terms and used Congress to do so, justly giving them the name Radical Republicans. Opinions about this time period have

In the years prior to the Reconstruction era, the nation was involved in a brutal civil war—one of the most destructive to ever take place. The North and the South were fighting against each other, with the Confederate States fighting for secession and slavery, and the Union fighting for an in tact country. Abraham Lincoln, the newly elected president, was against secession and blatantly stated so in his inaugural address, “A husband and wife may be divorced, but the different parts of our nation cannot.” Nonetheless, for four excruciating years, war took place and ended in 1865, with the siege of Petersburg, “[costing] the nation more than 600,000 lives, nearly as many as in all other American wars combined.” Just before the war ended and the Union won the victory, Lincoln began his second term. Unfortunately, he was assassinated soon after in mid-April. From this point on, the nation began rebuilding itself through reconstruction for the next twelve years. While the Reconstruction period following the Civil War produced many significant results, particularly in the arena of Constitution Amendments, it nevertheless fell short in binding the nation’s wounds. Without a replacement for Lincoln, the Republican Party was tragically unable or unwilling to seize the day and implement an effective, lasting and just national reconciliation.