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Disastrous Effects Of Reconstruction

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When the Civil War had finally met its end in the year 1865, an “era of reconstruction” came about——all with one singular purpose: give African Americans the rights we have and see them as citizens, not as property. However, although the plans for reconstruction had good intentions, not everything went as smoothly during the “reconstruction era,” not only for America but for the very people “reconstruction” was intended for, the recently freed, freedmen and freedwomen of America. And though many parts of reconstruction were to blame for the “disastrous effects” that reconstruction had on African Americans, some of the most notable topics include Radical Reconstruction, poverty, segregation, and racially based voting laws. Firstly, during the …show more content…

Thirdly, although said time and time again that reconstruction was intended solely so that African Americans were given the same rights and opportunities as Americans, segregation was still all too common in places African Americans should’ve felt safe and respected as people. The first steps toward official segregation came in the form of black codes which, as mentioned before, were laws passed not only to prevent African Americans from getting certain jobs but also as a means of “dictating every part of their lives.” This included where they could work as well as live—-and codes such as these ensured African Americans availability for cheap labor after slavery was abolished as …show more content…

After the war, though the Fourteenth Amendment granted African Americans the rights of citizenship, it didn’t automatically translate into the ability to vote, and normally, after the war, African Americans found themselves systematically turned away from state polling places. And though, to combat said problem, the Fifteenth Amendment was passed, allowing African Americans to vote no matter their race, color, or previous servitude, some states still found a way to circumvent the Constitution and prevent those of color from voting. That way being the “implication” of poll taxes, which required African Americans to pay to vote, literacy tests, which required the African Americans to be ‘literate” as well as serving as a way to “prove intelligence,” the grandfather clause, which kept descendants of slaves out of elections, unless it could be proved that one's grandfather had voted, and intimidation—-all used to prevent African Americans from

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America’s history has been marked by periods of tumult and periods of stability within its borders, C. Vann Woodward’s book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow, chronicles the events that happen after the Reconstruction period, showcasing the problems that Americans went through. The Strange Career of Jim Crow attacks segregation starting with its foundations and then records the laws and codes that the African-American population lived under during that time period. In his book Woodward points out the origins of Jim Crow laws and the segregation that goes with it, stating “One of the strangest things about the career of Jim Crow was that the system was born in the North and reached an advanced age before moving South in force. ”1 This book review

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Prior to the establishment of this act, African Americans faced many legal restraints prohibiting many of them from voting- a right guaranteed to all citizens under the fifteenth amendment. When African Americans attended the polling booths, they were often asked to complete a literacy test or pay a poll fine to vote. These tests caused a vast demographic of African Americans to be exempt from the voting process, excluding and discrediting their voices. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 finally outlawed any discriminatory voting prerequisites used by many Southern states at the time. The development of this act is often seen as a crucial turning point for the Civil Rights Movement and one of the nation’s most significant accomplishments since Reconstruction.

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African American men faced the hurdles of literacy tests and poll taxes, which, although they possessed the legal right to vote, served as significant obstacles, greatly impeding their ability to participate in the electoral process. Document 5 -. Portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 state that, “No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.” This act removed the power of the states to deny voting rights to their citizens based on race, representing a significant milestone in the march toward equality. States made efforts to maintain segregation by unfairly arresting individuals solely based on their race.

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Reconstruction had a negative effect on the United States politically. One example of reconstruction that had a negative effect politically was the Grandfather Clause. It practically banned the chance of voting for Freedman because most dads’ and grandpa’s were not free before the civil war so then the Freedman couldn’t vote. Another tough impact reconstruction created was the Jim Crow Laws. This made sure there was a separation of facilities based on color and race.

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During this time period, Northern States and Southern States followed different laws in terms of African Americans. According to the reading, “large majority of African Americans living in the south lacked the civil and political rights of citizens.” Despite living in a partially liberal society, African Americans faced adversity in the Southern States. Blacks lacked recognition as citizens due to the idea of inferiority that Whites

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Significant amounts of people today often do not comprehend how recently African-Americans truly gained the right to vote. About fifty-some years ago, less than one generation, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act; a landmark piece of federal legislation. The Voting Rights Act help African-Americans across the nation to overcome the legal barriers, such as the racially discriminatory Jim Crow Laws, that often prevented them from exercising their right to vote—which is guaranteed under the fifteen amendment, in national, state, and local elections. More specially, from the ratification of the fifteen amendment to the passage and signing of the Voting Rights Act, African-Americans, as well as other minority groups, endure countless

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i personally do not believe reconstruction would have succeeded even if president lincoln had not been assassinated. i dont think reconstruction would have necesarrily completely failed either, more so his death or survival would not have changed the end result. the reconstruction period was ultimately so long, we can now look back and see it would have required too much from one president to resolve all impending matters. Lincoln's ten percent plan was supported by Republicans, mostly because it was seen as a quick end to the war, not exactly a perfect plan for reconstruction. President Lincoln did not have a set blueprint for reconstruction.

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Fortunately for some period of time the success of the reconstruction outweigh the negative, these negatives quickly escalated during this important milestone for the country. The process of the reconstruction quickly went downhill, after the positives transformed into negatives, the negatives did not end there and the list continued to grow. The addition of “black codes” began to destroy the newly established freedom of the former slaves. White supremacist congressmen passed the laws known as black codes to forbid “blacks the right to make contracts, testify against whites, marry white women, be unemployed, and loiter in public places”.

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Preceding the Civil War, people of color, especially African Americans were practically disenfranchised everywhere throughout all fifty states of the United States. The ratification of the fifteenth amendment in the Constitution gave all men, regardless of race, color, or previous state of servitude the right to vote. Even with the enactment of the fifteenth amendment, many states used numerous techniques to prevent people of color from voting. The obstacles that prevented Africans Americans from casting a ballot ranged from literacy tests, poll taxes, the grandfather clause, intimidation, threats, and even violence.

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In 1870, The Fifteenth Amendment was published and stated that “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,” and that, “The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation” (Doc 1). During the 1950’s black Americans decided to act upon their frustration that whites were

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The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of civil rights legislation that was enacted to protect the voting rights of African Americans and other minority groups. The law was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965, and has been credited with increasing the political power and representation of minority groups in the United States. This essay will explore the background, significance, and impact of the Voting Rights Act, as well as the current challenges and controversies surrounding the law. Prior to the passage of the Voting Rights Act, voting rights were often denied to African Americans and other minority groups through a variety of discriminatory practices, including literacy tests, poll taxes, and other measures.

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But, when these officials were elected to Congress, they passed the “black codes” and thus the relations between the president and legislators became worst (Schriefer, Sivell and Arch R1). These so called “Black Codes” were “a series of laws to deprive blacks of their constitutional rights” that they were enacted mainly by Deep South legislatures. Black Codes differ from a state to another but they were stricter in the Deep South as they were sometimes irrationally austere. (Hazen 30) Furthermore, with the emergence of organizations such as the Red Shirts and the White League with the rise of the Conservative White Democrats’ power, efforts to prevent Black Americans from voting were escalating (Watts 247), even if the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S constitution that gave the Blacks the right to vote had been ratified in 1870.

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A prominent issue that occurred in the Southern United States was segregation between African Americans and other Americans (predominantly White Americans). Segregation was implanted in all aspects of American society that eventually became “an accepted part of southern society” (Greene 2010). The government’s perspective on civil rights was stagnant and not striving toward

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As the United States was being built as a country many years ago, specifically during the Reconstruction era, African Americans in the South were given the right to vote while they were constantly strayed away from voting. For many years the right to vote was not given to all American citizens. In 1870 the 15th Amendment was ratified so that the right to vote for any American citizen should not be denied or abridged. Although this amendment was put in place many times African Americans strayed away from voting due to poll taxes, literacy tests and other things that easily discouraged them. Not until 1965 was the “Voting Rights of 1965” established, by President Lyndon B. Johnson, which prohibited the racial discrimination of voting.

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In the battle to decide the constitutionality of segregation, the Supreme Court famously ruled “separate but equal” was indeed legal (Hayes 1/31/18). This ruling allowed for further discrimination and racism to grow as a result: “It cemented the imposition of…segregation of public facilities, and political disfranchisement that was enforced with terror and violence” (Rosenzweig 145). This segregation spread all over the south and was only made illegal until half a century later. However this was not the worst thing that befell on African Americans during this horrible

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