The Civil War and the period of Reconstruction engendered significant political, social, and economic changes in American society, with many effects of these changes continuing to influence the United States in the twentieth century. Following the end of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln and Congress were determined to rebuild and reunify the nation. Lincoln wanted to restore the United States by readmitting the southern states into the Union, as well as provide newly-freed African Americans with more rights and opportunities. The Reconstruction period aimed to improve life for all individuals, with an emphasis on African Americans. However, it had an opposite effect and adversely impacted the lives of many. As such, the period of Reconstruction …show more content…
Constitution, following the end of the Civil War. It is evident that Lincoln desired the restoration of national unity, as well as the assurance of equal liberties to all people. Thus, on January 31, 1865, Congress ratified the Thirteen Amendment, which formally abolished slavery in the United States. Soon thereafter, Congress sanctioned the Fourteenth Amendment in July of 1868, defining the civil liberties and rights of all individuals in the United States. As written in Document one, the Fourteenth Amendment declared, “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law, which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law…” The passing of this amendment was an essential step in the establishment of equal rights for former slaves. However, the Fifteenth Amendment, passed in February of 1870, greatly impacted the lives of African American men. It granted all male citizens, regardless of “race, color, or previous conditions of servitude,” the right to vote. Despite the passing of these three amendments, former slaves, nevertheless, were confronted with numerous political challenges. While acknowledged as citizens of the United States by law, African Americans were not considered equal to the white population, particularly in the southern states. Southerners were truly angered with the federal government and violently protested. Document three titled “Petition to the United States Congress,” was written by a concerned African American citizen. In his letter, he articulates his fears and concerns about the terrorizing actions of the Ku Klux Klan. He pleads with Congress to protect him and his fellow African Americans, as they may not be familiar with
As noted in Document 1, the 14th Amendment explicitly affirmed: “…All persons born or naturalized in the United State, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws…” The 14th Amendment ------------ (lead into the 15th amendment) 15th Amendment: The Fifteenth Amendment granted all male citizens, regardless of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude” the right to vote.
(Doc.C). From document C, it states that any African American (free or enslaved) that tries to sue in a court of law to become a citizen will be denied. In document D, the picture depicts an abolitionist trying to protect the rights of the slaves while freedman are
In his 1915 book, The Negro in the United States, W.E.B. DuBois wrote, "There was one thing that the white South feared more than negro dishonesty, ignorance, and incompetency, and that was negro honesty, knowledge, and efficiency” (“The Negro” Par. 41). After the end of the Civil War, white southerners were faced with one of the worst nightmares coming to true: African Americans were freed from slavery, granted equal protection, and given the right to vote. As Reconstruction progressed, African Americans were confronted with significant change for the fist tim in the history of the United States. After the removal of the Federal Troops following the corrupt bargain of 1877, there was a period of relative calm in the South which was ended by the Supreme Court decision to legalize segregation in the Plessy v.
The 15th amendment should have prevented these laws from being passed, but it did not. Voter qualifications required that in order to vote one must be able to read or understand a part of the Constitution. This prevented African Americans from voting because when they were enslaved they were not allowed to be educated which prevented them from learning how to read or comprehend writing. Another qualification was with property. The land requirement made it so anyone who did not own land worth at least $300 could not vote.
Maceo Cardinale Kwik Reconstruction Reconstruction was the twelve years after the civil war. Those twelve years were full of readjustment fixing the ruin the United States had fallen into. The problems that had the United states in disarray were how to, rebuild the South, reunite the states, and ensure the rights and protection of the newly freed African Americans. The civil war left the South in shambles, and newly freed slaves struggled to adjust to their new freedom. Most Southerners hated reconstruction and everything else about the North.
With the adoption of the 13th amendment. The United States found a final constitutional solution to the issue of slavery. It took a couple of years to take effect but it created a new united states. The 13th amendment, along with the 14th and 15th, is one of the trio of Civil War amendments that greatly expanded the civil rights of African Americans.
Before, during, and long after the Civil War blacks were discriminated against in almost every form of life. They had to fight and be patient to be accepted as equals among their white counterparts; this process took form over a long period of time, and after many failures, blacks were truly equal in the eyes of the government. The thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments which were passed in the late 1860’s were supposed to bring political, social, and economic equality for the blacks; however, this was not the case, while in some facets of life blacks obtained more freedoms they had to wait many years after these amendments were passed to be fully equal to whites. The thirteenth amendment abolished slavery in the United States.
The Reconstruction Era of American history was plagued by many problems. One of the most important problems being the recently released from slavery Freedmen. Freedmen were in a tricky situation in which they had just been released from their owner and had nowhere to go, but the Federal Government made many successful attempts to help them out. The Government helped alleviate all the problems Freedmen had from their finances to basic needs and rights, and in doing so, made the period of reconstruction more helpful than harmful for Freedmen. The events of reconstruction were helpful to freedmen as they were not only freed from slavery, they were given rights directly from the federal government.
The 14th gave black men due process, and the 15th states that suffrage cannot be denied because of race.
The Ending of Reconstruction It was the one hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and people were expecting great things. Reconstruction was off to a great start and people were welcoming the freedmen into the North. Reconstruction was a period after the Civil War where the North was helping build the South back up to what it was before the war. Blacks were even becoming senators just five years after the Civil war. Unfortunately the great Reconstruction era was coming to an end.
The Reconstruction era was a period after the Civil War put in place by Abraham Lincoln. This plan was his attempt to bring the nation together as quickly as possible, by requiring the States new constitution prohibit slavery. On January 1865 congress proposed an amendment to the constitution, which would abolish slavery in the United States. On December 18, 1865 congress changed the Thirteenth Amendment completely abolishing slavery. Such a radically change brought an unbalance to the way of life for many people.
The American civil war led to the reunion of the South and the North. But, its consequences led the Republicans to take the lead of reconstructing what the war had destroyed especially in the South because it contained larger numbers of newly freed slaves. Just after the civil war, America entered into what was called as the reconstruction era. Reconstruction refers to when “the federal government established the terms on which rebellious Southern states would be integrated back into the Union” (Watts 246). As a further matter, it also meant “the process of helping the 4 million freed slaves after the civil war [to] make the transition to freedom” (DeFord and Schwarz 96).
Reconstruction is the time period after the Civil War, where the country attempted to improve the Union. There were many successes, but what also comes along with success is failure. During the reconstruction many failures were present; such as the lack of racial equality and blatant racism towards blacks, a failing economy in the South, and tense relations between the North and the South. This created a very intense and challenging period of time for the Union.
Imagine working really hard, super hard, getting stuff done, feeling so proud of yourself. Knowing that’s going to be a great paycheck on payday next week. Now take away the check- and the feeling proud part- welcome to slavery. Slavery started in 1619, 12 years after our first living colony was founded. Long after that in 1865, the civil war dividing the country between the Union and the confederacy was finally over with the surrendering from the Confederate army.
On July 9, 1868, the Fourteenth amendment was formally introduced to the Constitution and granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States.” These words have as an ideal purpose that all levels of the federal government must operate within the law and provide fair conditions for all people. As a result, the states had a obligation to the public. Through the Fourteenth amendment, states were forbidden from denying any person “life, liberty, or property, without due process of law” or to “deny any person within jurisdiction the equal protection of laws.” By directly mentioning the role of the states, the Fourteenth amendment also expanded civil rights to African American slaves who had been emancipated after the American Civil War.