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The Reconstruction Era Essay

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The Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a time in American History after the Civil War of 1861-1865, and it lasted up until the Compromise of 1877. During the Reconstruction period people made attempts to rebuild the country after the bloody war. The goal was to bring former confederate states right back into the United States along with providing social, political, and economic opportunities for African Americans in the post slavery South. This freedom for ex-slaves meant that they could dress as they pleased, reconnect with their loved ones, change their names, uniting their families in a single household, women could refuse full time field work, men could take the place as the head of their families and so much more. Many Southern …show more content…

In the election of 1869 the Republican party had lost when Tennessee and Virginia became the first states to return to conservative Democratic control. Moderate Republican leaders that also came to power claimed that they were willing to abandon southern blacks in order to support northern businesses. Conservatives called this the time of redemption so they could “redeem” themselves. The Klan began to grow rapidly and although African Americans fought back with all they had against the Klan, they sadly succeeded in destroying Republican organizations and demoralizing entire communities and freed people. For instance, the Colfax Massacre occurred on April 13, 1873. This violent act arose over a power struggle between white southern democrats and white republicans and their black supporters. This massacre took place in Colfax, Louisiana and as many as 150 African Americans died because of this. White people's goal was to terrorize African Americans as much as they could because they thought it was the right thing to do. Thaddeus Stevens was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, and one of the leaders of the Radical Republican Party during the 1860s. Stevens was a huge voice and fought for freedom rights, he constantly strived for black masses. He was chairman of the House Ways and Means committee during the Civil War and played a huge role. Thaddeus focused his …show more content…

This was the first presidential election of the Reconstruction era and Republican Ulysses S. Grant won the election. He defeated Horatio Seymour of the Democratic Party. This election took place after the civil war and the abolition of slavery, along with that, this was also the first election African Americans could vote in the reconstructed Southern

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