Reconstruction Era Values And Beliefs Essay

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1866-1877 Reconstruction Era (Values and Beliefs, The Elements of Culture) The Reconstruction Era was the period of time after the civil war where America was being rebuilt. The United States wanted to restart the country where everyone was equal and despite the obvious privileges, where everyone was on the same track. The southern states started to integrate back into the union and slaves were being freed as well as teachers being sent to black schools in the north and south. The rights of freed slaves were in the process of being secured through the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments being developed. This can be seen as an example of Values and Beliefs in the The Elements of Culture. The United States wanted to increase its standards on cultural and moral beliefs, so that everyone in the country agreed and lived in harmony. Unfortunately this Reconstruction Era was not successful as blacks were still discriminated against and given less advantages than whites in the country. As said in the concept of the elements of culture, U.S culture consists of equal opportunity, achievement and success, material comfort, progress, democracy and free enterprise, practicality and efficiency, activity and work and science. These were slowly …show more content…

If they did not adapt to the lifestyle of the newly constructed America and abide by what was considered to be the cultural norms for Americans, they needed to be removed. Cultural conflict deems to be the source of pleasing variety, tension and even violence. The Plain Indians, Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Comanche all lost control over their territories because they did not abide to the idealistic “melting pot.” The melting pot is the blend of various nationalities into one American culture, however the Native Americans simply could not change their value and beliefs to confine to Americas perfect “melting pot”