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Impacts of african americans during the civil war
Affects of the civil war on African Americans
Affects of the civil war on African Americans
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The Civil War in 1865 and Reconstruction in 1865-1877 is the reason for peace and good relations with other states. In other words, it typically brought America together, and that is key for a good nation. The effects the Civil War had on the U.S becoming a nation was significantly dramatic. This includes when the two regions that were having slavery at the time, causing a bad perspective on the U.S., the Civil War had put an end to that slavery. Over 3 million of slaves have finally gotten their freedom.
In the years 1861-1865, the United States had a Civil War between the North and South. As a result, the North won, and the period after the war was called Reconstruction. It was called Reconstruction because the North’s goal was to Reconstruct the South, but there were many issues in this era. Slavery, and giving Social, Political, and Economic rights to African Americans were one of the most debated issues in this period though. Between the Radical Republicans, who wanted to give full citizenship and rights to African Americans, and Andrew Johnson, who did not want to give African Americans, there were a lot of issues that came about during this time.
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.
The Reconstruction Era was the rebuilding of the United States after the Civil War. Race issues were prominent during this era. Initially, freed people acquired no roles. They were not allowed to vote, to sue, seat in juries, testify, or sit in office. Congress passed the fourteenth amendment stating any individual born or naturalized in the United States was a citizen and had full civil rights.
Throughout American history, African Americans have struggled for their rights as citizens of the US. A famous published author, Jill Karson stated, “Many consider the civil rights movement to have begun not in the 1950's, but when African Americans were first brought in chains, centuries earlier to American shore.” Regrettably, African Americans had failed to achieve social, economic, and political equality for 100 years after the Civil War; it was not until Lyndon B Johnson’s Civil Rights Legislator in 1964 when segregation became prohibited. As early from the Reconstruction period, black Americans have fought for liberty and showed a strong demand for their civil rights; such effort was led by the foundation of Lyndon B. Johnson’s Civil Rights Legislation. His Civil Rights Legislation did not only a strong desire to end segregation, but also fought against many social injustices such as unfair wages, job opportunities, in addition to diminishing racism.
The thirteenth amendment stated that all former slaves were granted freedom. The reconstruction period, “did create the essential constitutional foundation for further advances in the quest for equality”. It laid the building blocks for the future building for civil rights not just for blacks but women and other minorities. Former slaves, “ found comfort in their family and in the churches they established”. Blacks took community in each other and bonded over the mutual idea of freedom .
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
The Civil War and the period of Reconstruction brought significant political, social, and economic changes to American society, and these effects continued into the 20th century. Post Civil War (After the Civil War – The period after the Civil War) - President Abraham Lincoln and Congress were determined to rebuild the nation. Lincoln wanted to restore the Union by readmitting the southern states that had seceded, as well as provide African Americans with more rights. Period of Conflict -
Struggles After Emancipation Emancipation in 1865 prohibited slavery and proved to be an incredible mark in our Nation’s history. Freedom, though, didn’t solve all the ensuing issues the African American community would have to face. These issues and struggles range from the overwhelming prejudice that still thrived in the South even after the war, to poverty and education difficulties that troubled African Americans. Segregation, lynching, and general class order were also issues that younger generations like Ida B Wells, Frederick Douglass and W.E.B Du Bois fought to improve. Education and economics were two of the primary focuses after 1865 from the perspective of the black community and rebuilding South.
After the Civil War, the North began Reconstruction efforts between the years of 1864 and 1877 in the South to maintain the freedom and equality of blacks. Northern Republicans went to great lengths to ensure the equality of previously enslaved African Americans and preserve the Union. Under Lincoln’s Ten Percent Plan, Andrew Johnson began to readmit states back into the Union, requiring the ratification of the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery and ten percent of eligible voters to swear an oath of allegiance to the Union. However, there was controversy as radical Republicans took on a “forfeited-rights” perspective against the seceded states, believing that they deserved to be punished and that Congress should decide re-admittance. Soon after,
Reconstruction Had Long Effects On African Americans In the mid-19th century, most black people in the South were slaves, and they were treated like goods. They were discriminated, were punished because of disobedience, and were not protected by the laws.(Treatment of Slaves, 2016) Since the American Civil War broke out-- a war fought between the northern Unions and the southern Confederates--the United States had unprecedented costs in the history. When the Civil War ended, parts of the South lay in ruins--homes were burned, businesses were closed, many properties were abandoned.
Obviously, the majority of state offices were initially held by whites; however, as the Reconstruction period progressed, more blacks began to fill positions such as law enforcement and tax assessors (Schultz, 2013). Some blacks were even voted into office, such as the first African American Senator of Mississippi, Hiram Revels. For those not fortunate enough to land a government job, they continued to work small plots of land in order to make a living, only as sharecroppers, as opposed to slaves. The South began to see an influx of carpetbaggers moving south to for a variety of different reasons (Schultz, 2013). Some of them worked with southern Republicans to get all types of improvements made in the south, such as new public schools
The Reconstruction (1865-1877) was a period during which the life of the defeated South was to be returned to normal; it was also a time when the Black Americans attained some rights thanks to Lincoln and the Republican part of the Congress and despite Johnson’s intentions. An extremely violent time, it is sometimes called “the darkest period of American history”; still, it brought many important progressive changes to the US. Abraham Lincoln is known for proclaiming the black slaves Emancipation in 1863; he was convinced that it was necessary for the North to win the war. Lincoln believed that the Confederate states needed to be reintegrated back into the US while preserving the abolition of slavery; however, the 16th President wasn’t planning
The KKK was founded in 1865 by 6 veterans of the Confederate War. In 1915, the second Klan was founded in Atlanta, Georgia. Starting in 1921, it adopted a modern business system of recruiting (which paid most of the initiation fee and costume charges as commissions to the organizers) and grew rapidly nationwide at a time of prosperity. The Ku Klux Klan used to be called the Kuklux Clan. Also, the KKK was one of a number of secret, oath-bound organizations using violence.