Reconstruction Era Essay

The end of the Civil War in 1865 marked the beginning of the Reconstruction Era (1865-1877) once the Republicans took over the South and attempted to fix everything wrong with it for the next twelve years. While the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves from “rebel territory not yet controlled by the Union army… slavery was a legal institution did not end in the United States until the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment in December 1865” (Marable 5). With the abolishment of slavery thanks

arose from the readmission to the union of the 11 states that have seceded. Reconstruction has been viewed more as a commendable experiment in interracial democracy, being the era of “repair” after he Civil War. Reconstruction was an era of total failure in the government’s attempt to create and reconstruct a society that was truly democratic. Although there were political and social changes during the Reconstruction Era that granted passages of freedom for the African Americans, policies such as

importantly, African Americans were denied the right to decide how their country was controlled and in turn their “liberty”. These atrocities prove that the reform introduced during the Reconstruction era did little to resolve the problems plaguing African Americans or improve their quality of life. Reconstruction did not succeed in incorporating former slaves into American society, but rather complicated the lives of blacks. For example, employment opportunities for african-americans at that time

During the time of Reconstruction, which was from 1865-1877, president Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass had many goals that they wanted to achieve during the Reconstruction period. They shared a common goal of trying to abolish slavery, however, Douglass and Lincoln did have different goals as well that they believed were priorities. Douglass’s goal was to have equality and equal rights among the races and Lincoln’s main goal was to unify the Union after the destruction caused

Due to less recognition on black history many don’t even know what “Black Codes” are. Black Codes began towards the middle of the reconstruction era which was from 1865-1877. Black Codes were a set of restrictive laws set in the south that were designed to restrict free blacks activity to enable their availability in the workforce now that slavery had been abolished. Black codes represent the discriminatory laws established in America that shaped southern society, at the end of the 19th century

was marked by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which made it illegal to discriminate against people based on their color, race, religion, nationality, or sex. Unfortunately, even with the amazing work done during the second reconstruction era, and much like the original Reconstruction Era, we are left with an imperfect system. There are still holes in the legislation created and there are promises that have yet to be met, and people of color are still disproportionately disadvantaged

During the reconstruction ex-slaves probably defined freedom a number of different ways(good and bad), but the fact remains that freedom for an ex-slave and freedom for a white person during the reconstruction era were drastically different. There were great programs and amendments(13,14,&15) established during the reconstruction that make freedom seem equal, but in real time the abolishment of slavery did little or nothing at all for reframing the mind-frame of most ex-slaves and whites. For the

cultural practices.” Many of the standard patriarchal gender roles remained the same in the Reconstruction such as the woman took care of the house and children while the men were the breadwinners and in control. The difference is in this period, freed African-American men adopted the gender role of Caucasian men, and women began to fight for the chance of an education and the right to vote. The Reconstruction Era hosted the creation of several organizations as well as individuals to fight for the rights

abolishment of slavery took place (Gallagher). The Reconstruction Era overlapped and followed the war. On September 22, 1862, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation stating that he, “orders and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated states, and part of states, are, and henceforward shall be free…” (“Transcript of Emancipation Proclamation (1863)”). This proposal would go into effect on January 1, 1863. During Reconstruction, African Americans were able to gain their

Following the war, the Congressmen had to recover from its loss and settle the disagreements that existed in Congress in order to prevent another war from happening. Therefore, the Thirteen, Fourteen, and Fifteenth Amendments, also known as the Reconstruction Amendments were passed as an attempt to achieve peace