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The reconstruction era failures in african americans
African americans and the reconstruction era
African americans and the reconstruction era
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This made African Americans become guest everywhere they went because they did not own anything. For example, the 15th amendment stated blacks could run for office, but under certain restrictions. First, they could not talk about black issues. Second, groupism was not allowed. Third, they could not hold whites accountable for having them enslaved.
“I saw over twelve colored men and women, beat, shot and hung between there and Shreveport,” former slave Henry Adams writes. After the Civil War, the legal institution of slavery was abolished unless used as a just punishment. Additionally, these “freedmen” were naturalized and made citizens of the United States which allegedly granted them equal protections, whatever color or race, would have; and, they were granted black male suffrage. Some may argue that African Americans were free after the Civil War for the obvious reasons of a document stating so. However, African Americans were not free post-Antebellum era because they were deprived of their rights as “Americans citizens” through the institution Black Codes and the continuation of
1. The information tells me that American culture took a turn for the better but then went right back to where they started. The culture was continuing to change for the freedom of African Americans by the Radical Reconstruction. But, what others didn’t realize is people’s point of view sometimes didn’t change with the time causing African Americans to be beaten and even murdered. 2.
I chose this topic because it is directly related to the African American history since 1865. After the end of civil war in 1865, there was a period of rebuilding and reuniting the United States. During this reconstruction period, there were three basic constitutional amendments that acted towards black people rights. Even though the purpose of reconstruction was to free slaves and give African American their rights as a human being, Black Codes, restrictive laws that control black people, passed under the administration of President Andrew Johnson. Also, southern whites did not accept the fact that colored people were getting a chance to vote and to be elected for political positions.
Initially freed unofficially by Lincoln’s famous Emancipation Proclamation and more formally through the 13th amendment, black men were opened up to an entirely new world. But the government wasn’t finished yet. They passed the 14th amendment which guaranteed to protect the rights of former slaves and granting them the right to vote. For so long had African Americans fought for these freedoms and the federal government granted this well well deserved privilege. Acting on the behalf of all moral people the government was able to turn away from the evil institution of slavery, and by doing so carried out the people’s will.
Radical Republicans wanted the society of the South to change imminently, no slow progression, and that included giving rights to former slaves. According to the series, the Republicans created the Freedmen’s Bureau, who is responsible for the general welfare of the freed slaves. They built schools, and also with 800,000 acres of confiscated land, with the intention of giving that land to freed slaves, but this land never makes it to freed slaves. While under President Andrew Johnson he approved of freeing slaves and taking down big plantation elite, he did not believe in making blacks somewhat equal in society. During elections, many former Confederate states have been won by former rebel legislators, and many of those legislators enact the
The reconstruction era was a wonderful and horrible time for African Americans. Because the former slaves were free in all states, most were uneducated, jobless, and had no opportunity in the south. With the president to distracted with fraud rings, and the North getting tiered of the south political problems, its no wonder the reconstruction era came to an
April, 1861, the Civil War ended and in the North's favor. The Northerners were extremely happy until Abraham Lincoln, the president that led them to the win, got assassinated. Andrew Johnson who was the vice president at that time, then became president during reconstruction from the Civil war. Andrew Johnson, however, had totally different beliefs than Lincoln. He wanted slavery and didn’t see blacks as equals to whites.
During the reconstruction phase after the Civil War Southerners and Northerners treated blacks different in many ways and similar in some ways as well. Many of the black began to leave the south in 1877 after the Nicodemus community was created originating in Kentucky. When many of african americans began to migrate to the North many of the Southern slave owners and master’s gave their slaves the option to stay and work for pay and housing instead of just as slaves, this was because at the time agriculture and the practice of farming was the main way for people during the time to have a source of income and bring food to the table. Many african american’s left because of how they were treated by their master’s. Some in which chose to stay
Peter Schroeder Dr. Christopher Marshall Modern United States History 2/2/17 Writing Assignment 1: The African-American Experience with Reconstruction Reconstruction among the south refers to the point in time which the United States was attempting to establish a relationship between the union and the rebels. The Union had won the civil war, so the next step was to begin to mend the broken relationship between the north and the south. Though historians cannot agree on when it began, there is merit in saying that it started before the end of the Civil War. After victory, had been solidified for the Union, attention of President Lincoln turned towards reconstruction.
In a more symbolic fashion, this sudden shift, and instillation of Black Codes caused the southern states to become figurative slave masters that suppressed Black people into economic subjugation, political, and social subjugation. This cultivated in complete societal dominance by White people in the south. As a response to this, the Freedman’s Bureau and Civil Rights Bills were passed in early 1866; both of were meant to protect the rights of Black individuals of the South. Amendment XIV established birth right citizenship, meaning that all Black people born within the United States, both free and enslaved at time of birth, were hens forth recognized as American citizens. This section of the amendment also states that all citizens of the US are also citizens of the states in which they reside.
It is discussed that the lives of black American did not improve significantly as racism was entrenched in governments and white Americans, especially southerners. Although amendments and acts sought out to better the lives of black Americans, it did not mean they were immediately treated as equal and given rights. Black Americans had a very difficult life post-Civil War as the rest of America was not prepared to stop depriving them of their civil rights as it was beneficial to them to have black Americans kept under oppression. The abolition of slavery cost slave owners over $2 billion in property only. This severely impacted the economy as it was in crisis and white slave owners did not have any slaves to serve them on plantations.
During the revolutionary era, 1750-1800, tensions were at an all-time high between the colonists and Great Britain. Within the thirteen colonies, the tensions between white and black Americans had been present for many years. Throughout the revolutionary era, African Americans faced many hardships, including: abuse on the plantations, fighting in the war, and attempting to gain freedom. Slave owners often abused their slaves, especially when they tried to run away.
Post Civil War, African Americans started to gain rights to gain rights, and soon gain rights equal to whites. While there were some people/things standing in their way (KKK, Black Codes), in the end they got what they needed; Equality. Many acts and laws were passed to aid the new rights now held by African Americans, as well as the numerous people willing to help. New Amendments were added to give African Americans rights after the war, all giving them some equal rights to whites. The first of the three added was the Thirteenth Amendment, it gave African Americans freedom from slave owners, and stated that no one could be kept as a slave in the U.S..
The 13th amendment covers broader amount of labor arrangements for example, a person being forced to work by the threatened use of physical or legal coercion or banning peonage, in which a person is forced to work to pay off debt. In addition, they gained citizenship and now considered citizens of the United States according to the 14th amendment. The 15th amendment followed giving African American males the right to vote which led a further step into their citizenship. Being held captive from your will African Americans tend to be grateful because they are finally considered citizens of the United States and are finally free. Unfortunately, this feeling of freedom was temporary because African Americans are still being taking advantage of.