Unmistakable Reconstruction Although The Era of Reconstruction may be argued as a positive effect, it can also be argued that it is a negative effect for the Civil Rights Movement. And the few positive changes made during the era of reconstruction, thus resulted in passive activists, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr, fighting for a senses of hope and prosperity. Despite the fact that both Mandela and King were not alive during The Era of Reconstruction Mandela and King argue the positive outcome. The Era of Reconstruction was a positive outcome because of the changes in the constitution, the government, and the sense of hope. Initially, although Mandela was not American, but South African, he would have viewed The Era of Reconstruction …show more content…
King states, “This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (King 1). Although King was not present when reconstruction occurred, he views reconstruction as a positive growth. By growth meaning the positive changes that the government did for the African Americans in the United States. Another reason why King would agree with the era of reconstruction being a positive thing is that the African Americans for the first time in history have the ability to vote. After The Era of Reconstruction African Americans were allowed to vote, but laws like the Jim Crow laws prevented them from voting.“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the unites states or any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude” (Article 15 Section 1- Document A). After the Civil War, which took place in 1861-1864, Congress added new amendments to the Constitution, 15th amendment allows African Americans the right to vote. With the right to vote, many African Americans viewed The Era of Reconstruction as a new era with the sense of …show more content…
They would both agree with The Era of Reconstruction because its a sense of hope and prosperity. For example, in South Africa the apartheid lasted 46 years, with something like The Era of Reconstruction, Mandela would argue it was a positive effect. As King states “ I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of the former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood” (2). Although African Americans were not yet fully equal, King has the sense of ambition that one day, equality will bring all men and women together despite the difference in their skin color. Alongside King, Mandela also has the sense of prosperity and hope. Although Mandela was a South African CIvil Rights pacifist, he would agree with King in the sense of prosperity. Mandela states, “We trust that you will continue to stand by us as we tackle the challenges of building peace, prosperity, nonsexism, non-racialism and democracy” (Mandela 1). As few changes are being made, both King and Mandela hold on to the hope and prosperity that one day they can all be united as
Finally, with the ratification the fifteenth amendment in 1870s, it secured the vote for the African Americans, and it forbid states from denying any citizens from the right to vote based on race, color, or “previous condition of servitude.” These three amendments were significant changes during the Reconstruction period because all people, not just white, can fully enjoy being an American citizen without worrying over their race or
In a sense, they give up their individualistic thinking and think as a group. King questions the kind of people that voted for these laws and if they were intended to be for the good of the people. In the social contract, the government is legitimate if consented by the people. In this case, the government would serve to protect but King questions if the laws were democratically elected and states that because African Americans weren’t able to vote for such a government, they have no obligation to obey such
Throughout history, during the The Civil War and The Reconstruction Era the issues that occured than are still prevalent today. After the Civil War ended in 1865, The Reconstruction era occurred which was the period after the Civil War, where the Confederacy was brought back into the United States, making the country more unified. Even though there were many laws and restrictions that were put into place after this time, we still find these racial issues in our society today. The Bill of Rights was created to protect others to make our country prosper, however this did not successfully play the role that they were supposed to. Through the Reconstruction Era, African Americans were guaranteed the right that they can no longer be slaves or have
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.
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.
Positive gains from the Reconstruction Era include: Freedmen’s Bureau: food, Medicare, and legal advice granted to newly freed African Americans; 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment which abolished slavery, granted citizenship to everyone born in the U.S, and granting everyone the right to vote. Negative effects from the Reconstruction Era include: the KKK: a group of whites who threatened blacks so they wouldn’t vote, and killed many; Black Codes: laws that limited the freedom from U.S citizens. The effects of the Reconstruction, which linger in our society nowadays, are the three amendments passed by congress, the Civil Rights act of 1866, and black schools and universities were established; most importantly, we are once again a unified
The 15th Amendment (Amendment XV), which gave African-American men the right to vote, was inserted into the U.S. Constitution on March 30, 1870. Passed by Congress the year before, the amendment says, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Although the amendment was passed in the late 1870s, many racist practices were used to oppose African-Americans from voting, especially in the Southern States like Georgia and Alabama. After many years of racism, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to overthrow legal barricades at the state and local levels that deny African-Americans their right to vote. In the
During the late 1800s, because the South had been decimated by the end of the Civil War, .the Reconstruction Period was initiated to aid the South’s recovery. Although the Civil War did abolish slavery and unify the North and the South, the war not resolve racial prejudice, the South’s damage, and the African Americans’ economic instability. The Reconstruction Period was initiated in order to prevent economic instability and the structural ruin, because since slavery was abolished, and the South was completely dependent on slaves, therefore slaves could not work for the South to maintain the economy, and slaves also could not fix up the damages done to the structures done to the South during the war. By starting the Freedmen’s Bureau and passing
Martin Luther King Jr. was a main activist in the fight against racial oppression, and segregation, MLK convinced the African American society to fight against the segregation with peace, and taught them to never react violently to any form of oppression. President Barack Obama wishes a better peace for the future of humanity, and wishes to gain that peace through non-violence, and recognizes that one cannot always remain peaceful within war, and thereby going through with the concept of a “just war”. Both Martin Luther King Jr., and President Barack Obama compare in that they both wish for a future without violence, and have a means of doing so through peaceful interactions.
Reconstruction era, which was followed by post-civil war, was meant to unite the states back together, reconstruct properties, and most importantly, abolish slavery in the South. Although the factors such as amendments legally freed former slaves, yet WRITE THESIS After the end of civil war in 1865, Reconstruction era, which was controlled by President Abraham Lincoln, appeared to quickly coalesce the Northern and Southern states. reconstruction amendments, which were approved between 1865 and 1870, played a huge role on giving legal rights to blacks and former slaves. 13th amendment constitutionally abolished slavery in 1865 and followed up by that, 14th and 15th amendment admitted equal citizenship, protection, and rights of suffrage despite the one’s race or skin color. Former slaves were no longer belongings of their owners.
In the article “Mandela's Speech Upon Release from Prison (1990)” Nelson Mandela states, “Today, the majority of South Africans, black and white, recognize that apartheid has no future... There must be an end to white monopoly on political power and a fundamental restructuring of our political and economic systems to ensure that the inequalities of apartheid are addressed, and our society thoroughly democratized... Our march toward freedom is irreversible. We must not allow fear to stand in our way.."(Mandela).
King supports his message with the quote “But one hundred years later, the negro is not
“I Have a Dream” and “Glory & Hope” were two great speeches given by two of the most significant and exceptional speakers in the 20th century. These 2 men were Dr. Martin Luther King Junior and Nelson Mandela. These two speeches were delivered at times when great racial segregation and injustice had been found in the deep chasms of human society. At that time the Negros in North America and South Africa were racially divided. The Apartheid in South Africa and the lack of rights for the Negros in North America.
Racism’s Impact on Reconstruction While the issue of slavery evidently contributed to the divide that resulted in the American Civil War, it is debated whether prevailing ideals of racism caused the failure of the era following the war known as Reconstruction. With the abolishment of slavery, many of the southern states had to reassemble the social, economic, and political systems instilled in their societies. The Reconstruction Era was originally led by a radical republican government that pushed to raise taxes, establish coalition governments, and deprive former confederates of superiority they might have once held. However, during this time common views were obtained that the South could recover independently and that African Americans
Even though the government adopted the Voting Rights Act in 1965, African Americans’ suffrages were still restricted because of southern states’ obstructions. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was important for blacks to participate in political elections, but before this act was passed, there were several events led to its proposal. The government gave African Americans’ the right to vote by passing the 15th Amendment, but in the Southern States, blacks’ suffrages were limited by grandfather clauses, “poll taxes, literacy tests, and other bureaucratic restrictions” (ourdocuments.gov). As times went on, most African Americans couldn’t register their votes.