Turning Points in History 1900s

The Reconstruction Era and The Jim Crow Era were both times of Rapid growth in the United States that were characterized by changes not only on the intrapersonal level, but also on the cultural and legislative level. The Reconstruction Era occurred directly after the civil war and spanned twelve years from 1865 to 1877 , while the Jim Crow Era occurred from 1877 to 1954. Some of the common themes of these eras were race relations and tension between northern states and southern states. The first topic that this paper will be covering is race relations during these two eras. Race relations were a central theme in the two films The Birth of a Nation and Within Our Gates making it a natural fit. The other topic that will be covered in this paper is the role and responsibilities of northern states during the reconstruction era. In this paper, Northern states will be defined as any state who supported the union during the American Civil War.

In the south, for social, they still had problems with race. New laws made it hard for southern African Americans to enjoy the improvements of transportation. Politically, there were laws that allowed segregation and made it really hard for African Americans to enjoy their free life. economically, although the south remained mostly agricultural the south began to develop timber industries, also because there main source of profit was slaved, after slavery was abolished that took away a lot of the South’s major income, also iron and coal deposits in the southern Appalachian mountains gave rise to steel production in Alabama.

In 1866, the president’s vetoes to nullify the Civil rights act and Freedmen’s bureau we overridden because they felt that it was wrong to deny a U.S. citizen of their freedom, “all persons born or naturalized in the United States.” In the 1866 elections, the Republicans took power, and made certain that the fourteenth amendment would be passed so that African Americans could gain their rights.

The Union Victory in the Civil War in 1865 granted freedom to approximately 4 million slaves, however, the process of rebuilding the South during the Reconstruction period 1865-1877 brought a lot of challenges. In 1865 and 1866 under the supervision of President Andrew Johnson, new Southern state legislatives passed the “black codes” to control the labor and behavior of former slaves and other African Americans. During the Radical Reconstruction in 1869, new enfranchised blacks had a voice in the government for the first time in

Radical Republicans prevented former Confederates from voting by not counting for them in congress. President Johnson vetoed many laws that the Radical Republicans wanted to pass and the republican would override the veto by a two-third vote. The republican were able to pass thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendment. Thirteenth amendment was created to abolish slavery. Fourteenth amendment addressed the citizenship rights and equal protection for freed blacks. Fifteenth amendment establish the state government from preventing any citizen to their right to vote based on the citizen’s race. Radical leader Charles Sumner and Thaddeus Stevens worked on plans for black's right. The 14th and 15th amendment inspire the future efforts for civil right. Eventually, Congress attempts to impeach President Johnson, but lost one vote to impeach the

The New South was mostly about development and growth that started to gradually increase after 1877 on into the 1900s. Iron and steel were the main contributors followed by tobacco and timber. Steel mills were popping up all over the south which provided numerous jobs and a better way of living. The downside was the effect it had on the farm industry due to the fact that cotton was cheap and so was labor. As a result most of the people preferred to work in the factories which paid higher wages.

Reconstruction (1867-1877) under Congress was a fast tightening of a noose in the South. Congress no longer trusted Andrew Johnson’s loose plan for Reconstruction, so they began closing in on their plans. Radical Republicans made many lasting impacts in this period. Under Congress, the 14th and 15th Amendment was created, guaranteeing rights to African Americans. A newly created Freedmen’s Bureau help create many schools and colleges, lasting up to modern times. African Americans held power in office, although they were quickly brought down by the Ku Klux Klan’s terrorism. The main path Reconstruction took was based on the government’s plans. There

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.

This amendment was created to remove all doubt about the Civil Rights Acts in 1866, and it also included African Americans. The Fifteenth Amendment was ratified in 1870 to give African American males the right to vote, which no one could bribe or make someone not vote because of their race. These amendments had brought attention to African Americans, and their rights as citizens of the United States. These rights sparked a feeling of importance within their community as if things were starting to change for the better, even though they had face more obstacles due to white supremacy groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan, horrified at the thought of being equal to African Americans.8 However, as more and more freed slaves start to register to vote, more black individuals became involved in politics. Blanche K. Bruce and Hiram Revels were African Americans that served in the U.S Senate and Frederick Douglas was a major figure in the abolitionist movement.9 The first black institutions were also built in the South creating a solid foundation for the future for African-Americans in

Included in these acts were the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the act for creating the Freedmen’s Bureau, along with several Reconstruction Acts. These Reconstruction Acts put together military rule over the Southern states until the new governments could be put together. Also these acts limited some of the former Confederate officials’ and some military officers’ to run for public office or their rights to vote (Civil war and reconstruction, reconstruction and rights, n.d.). The former male slaves were given the right to hold public office and the right to vote by the Reconstruction acts. Two amendments to the Constitution were passed by Congress. The Fourteenth Amendment protected citizens from state laws that were discriminatory and made African-Americans citizens. Before being readmitted to the union the southern states must ratify the Fourteenth Amendment. The African American men were ensured the right to vote by the Fifteenth

After four years the Civil War ended in 1865 the next problem was the reconstruction of the torn apart United States. It was a slow start especially for government reconstruction but had Abraham Lincoln been president instead of Andrew Johnson presidential reconstruction may have proved to be successful. Along with the reconstruction came “radical” changes to the United States as well. This flared both Southern and Northern racial attitudes causing conflict between the two once again. These problems were just the beginning of reconstruction leaving behind the historical legacy we have today.

infrastructure, education, and voting rights) by 1896, the progress of republican policies was undermined and a pre-war copy of the Old South was reconstructed. Officially, the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments provided black men with equal rights and protections but these provisions were not enforced. While in 1865, the radical congressmen may have been completely devoted to the cause of advancing African American rights, their focus shifted by 1877. Some were tempted by financial gain and wrapped up in political scandals, others were devoted to preserving Constitutional principles such as property rights and self-governance while conveniently forgetting about the principle of “all men are created equal”. By 1896, the government had sided with white supremacists and blacks were left homeless and impoverished with the task of emancipating themselves from the shackles of systematic oppression based on the color of their skin. This political struggle between African Americans, their “supporters”, and oppressors who had been brainwashed after years of indoctrination, would carry into the 20th and 21st

Following the Civil War, former slave-holding states felt the need to restrict the rights of black people, creating black codes. Many of these laws required the free black person to obtain "special written permission of his employer" in order to do things such as requesting non-working days, coming near the local parish, or possessing a weapon. These codes really demonstrated the existent segregation and unequal rights between the whites and blacks after the war. Consequently, the Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, even with the veto of President Andrew Johnson. The Act stated that any person born in the United States of America was a legal American citizen, regardless of other factors such as race, and thus shall benefit from all laws equally. Furthermore, the drafting of the 14th and 15th Amendments surfaced. The 14th Amendment allowed for protection so that "nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." This was a huge step in the political and social values in the country. Johnson believed that "to force the right of suffrage out of the hands of white people and into the hands of blacks [was] an arbitrary violation." The 15th Amendment gave all men, regardless of race or other factors, the right to vote. The appearance of injustice through the form of black codes helped to spur the idea equal rights for

It also allowed black men to join the Union Army and Navy, “enabling the liberated to become liberators.” (The Emancipation Proclamation) The big change in slavery and the fight for equality did not come until the Thirteenth Amendment was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865 and ratified by the states on December 6, 1865. With this event, it was declared that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” (13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution) Although this Amendment did give slaves their freedom, it did not guarantee them the same rights nor the same treatment that other citizens of the United States had and took for granted. This was especially seen in the states that “enacted ‘black codes’ that were intended to limit the civil rights of the newly free slaves.” (Civil Rights) These “black codes” and the obvious difference in treatment were a large issue, and they were later addressed in the Constitution with the introduction of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment. The Fourteenth Amendment was ratified on July 9, 1868 and it made large changes for black individuals. This Amendment “granted citizenship to ‘all persons born or naturalized in the United States,’ which included former slaves recently freed.” (14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution) It also “forbids states from denying

Through the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the constitution, the republicans tried to protect and establish black freedoms. At the same time southern state legislators were passing laws to restrict free blacks’ freedoms. Through the use of black codes and vagrancy laws, the south attempted to keep blacks in a state of slavery. These laws were worded in a way such that blacks rights would be so restricted that it would remain impossible for them to gain any real freedom.