Essay about Reconstruction in the Post-Civil War Era

After the Civil War, the South lay in ruins. Streets were lined with the lifeless bodies of Confederate soldiers whilst the buildings smoldered right down to their foundations. In an effort to restore the South to its former charm, the U.S. government plunged the country into what is now called the Reconstruction Era. President Lincoln’s approach towards reconstruction, known as the 10% Plan, was rivaled by the collaborative effort of Henry Davis and Benjamin Wade; known as the Wade-Davis Bill. Both plans never made it into effect, but they set a precedent for more rivalries to come. President Johnson’s election did not serve any justice towards the effort of Reconstruction. He was a â€Å"Southern Sympathizer† who did all in his power to†¦show more content†¦Feeding into the obvious prejudice of African Americans through President Johnson, the southern state legislatures implemented the Black Codes. These restrictions severely limited the freedoms of Af rican Americans. In retaliation, Congress passed the Civil Acts Rights Act which stated that all people born in the U.S. are citizens; and this included African Americans. Johnson initially vetoed this bill, but Congress overrode it. This is just one example of Johnson’s many disagreements with Congress. At that time, Congress also passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, which abolished slavery, made everyone equal under the law, and gave African Americans the right to vote; which angered southern farmers and former slave owners. President Andrew Johnson was angered at the feat of Congress, so he decided to fire his Secretary of War, Edward Stanton. This went against the Tenure of Office Act, thus giving the Senate grounds for impeachment. Although acquitted, Johnson spent the rest of his term relatively mild-mannered, rather than vetoing any and every bill passed by Congress. Angered at the fact that African Americans now had the right to vote, southern white farmers ban ded together to create the Ku Klux Klan. Their sole mission was to create fear in the lives of many African Americans as well as stop them from expressing their newly acquired rights. The Ku Klux Klan became somewhat of a form of domestic terrorism. InShow MoreRelatedCongressional Era Of Reconstruction During Post Civil War Reconstruction2634 Words   |  11 Pagesâ€Å"Failure is simply an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.† —Henry Ford. This was the Southern optimist’s view of what the results of post Civil War Reconstruction could be. Unfortunately, once the Congressional era of Reconstruction began, this view was squandered under federal punishment of the South. This policy led to strained relations between Congress and the ex-Confederate states. The difference of opinion was over how harshly the South should be punished for leaving theRead MoreHow Did The Radical Republican s Rise For The Failure Of The Post Civil War Reconstruction?1619 Words   |  7 Pagesfailure of the post-civil war reconstruction? The time between 1863, when Lincoln passed the ten percent act, until the year 1877, when reconstruction was officially ended, will be evaluated with information provided by the sources. The investigation will specifically look to how the Lincoln assassination allowed for the rise in the Radical Republican Party from 1866 to 1868 and the party’s effect on reconstruction acts lead ing to the failure of the post-civil war reconstruction era. Eric Foner’sRead MoreReview: the Continuing Evolution of Reconstruction History by Eric Foner961 Words   |  4 Pagesunderstanding of race relations, politics, and economic change during Reconstruction.† The article essentially encompasses the meaning of three different views of reconstruction: traditional, revisionist, and post-revisionist. After Foner defines these and explains his thesis, the article becomes somewhat of an advertisement for his own articles on the topic. Foner defines the traditionalist view as the interpretation that when then civil had finally come to an end, the white population of the south moreRead MoreOrigin Of And Role Played By Manifest Destiny1323 Words   |  6 Pages The Homeland Act fueled the drive for displacement of Indians. Task 2: Triumphs and Failures of the Reconstruction Era Reconstruction is the term used to refer to the period between 1862 and 1877, during which America attempted to bring sanity from the terrific socio-political and economic changes created by the breakaway calls and Civil War. Given the complexity of the post-Civil War issues it is understandable that the period is shrouded in controversy. While some historians typify the periodRead MoreReconstruction : The Misadventures Of Post Civil War1116 Words   |  5 PagesProf. Van Natter Reconstruction (The Misadventures of Post-Civil War America) America: â€Å"The land of the free, and the home of the brave† (Key 7-8). When our forefathers overcame the colonial reign of the British Empire, they formed the United States of America based on the premise of enlightened ideals promoting life, ownership of land, and liberty. But after the revolution, the country’s problems were far from solved. The country’s post-revolution issues sparked a Civil War, which was followedRead MoreThe Jim-Crow Era: An Omitted Era in American History1524 Words   |  7 Pagesunpleasant nature, a great example of this is the Jim-Crow Era. In this paper, I will be discussing the main events of the Jim-Crow era, its initiation, the new style of slavery in the south, and the way it re-shaped the lives of African Americans all across the country, its re-enforcement in the beginning of the twentieth century, its major supporters, like the Ku Klux Klan. Confederate state leaders, and its major oppositions like the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, and the idea of the United StatesRead MoreThe Reconstruction Era And The Jim Crow Era1525 Words   |  7 PagesThe 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 firstRead MoreTime Line 21050 Words   |  5 Pagesabolitionist movement including: a) The effect of Uncle Tom’s Cabin b) The Kansas-Nebraska Act c) The Compromise of 1850 d) The Underground Railroad | 1800-1870 | a. a book that describes how slaves were treated that helped fuel the civil war.b. allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery within their borders.c. the balance of power between slave and free states following American acquisition of new territory in theRead MoreThe Glory Field By Walter Dean Myers1265 Words   |  6 PagesSadie Hosler 2 hour 11/09/15 Slavery to Segregation; Civil War to Civil Rights The Glory Field is a novel by Walter Dean Myers that follows the Lewis family through racism and segregation. It starts with Muhammad Bilal being captured from Africa in 1753. It follows through to see young Lizzy escape from slavery on the live Oaks plantation in South Carolina in 1864. After the Civil War, the family is given is plot of land they refer to as the â€Å"Glory Field†, which represents hope for the family duringRead MoreWhy Did Reconstruction Fail870 Words   |  4 PagesWhy did Reconstruction fail? Reconstruction in the United States is historically known as the time in America, shortly after the Civil War, in which the United States attempted to readdress the inequalities, especially of slavery and many other economic, social and politically issues including the poor relationship between the North and the South of America. These problems were highly significant in America, and a variety of groups in government tried to resolve these problems, but this only led