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Reconstruction Dbq

1113 Words5 Pages

The Reconstruction era was a period in the United States that took place after the Civil War, from approximately 1865 to 1877. During this time, the federal government sought to incorporate both the Confederate states and newly freed black people into American society. This process was marked by a series of political and social changes, including the passing of the Reconstruction Amendments, which abolished slavery, granted citizenship rights, and voting rights to black Americans. Additionally, the Freedmen's Bureau was established to aid newly freed black people in areas such as education, housing, and land ownership. The era was also marked by the rise of racist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, which aimed to maintain white supremacy and …show more content…

The Freedmen's Bureau “aided many freed people in achieving one of their primary goals: obtaining land” (Hewitt and Lawson 464). It also helped with housing, small loans, and put newly freed black people in touch with lawyers. This bureau is a clear example of how the government paid attention to Black people’s needs and made it their top priority. Many African American citizens were able to thrive through this bureau and were able to successfully reconnect with their family, obtain sustainable jobs, and much more. The 15th Amendment stated that voting rights could not be denied to any male based on race, skin color, or former slave status (Document C). This was a huge milestone for former slaves, as they were once counted as 3/5ths of a person but now have the ability to speak up and voice their struggles. Unfortunately, this amendment was broad and therefore had many loopholes including: literacy and education tests, poll taxes, grandfather clauses, and white primaries. Seven Black legislators were elected into government positions, which broadened Black representation (Document D). Newly freed slaves could rest assured that their voices and concerns were being heard. However, this new sense of equality did not last a long …show more content…

An excerpt from the Mississippi Black Codes relating to the town of Opelousas, Louisiana clearly demonstrates the disparities between Black and White folks. They state that no black individual can come within the limits of Opelousas without permission from their employer; if they break this law they must go to jail or pay a fine of five dollars. Additionally, the laws state that every Black person has to work for a white person, a concept reminiscent of slavery (Document A). This is one of many points in American history where segregation is actively supported by the government. Slavery was legal in jail as an incarcerated person could work without pay. This is why the codes are extremely strict and it is almost impossible to stay out of

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The questions at hand were complex, and involved citizenship and government aid, and had to take the public’s varied opinions into account, as well as the political makeup of Congress. The 13th Amendment freed the slaves, but gave the slaves nothing except their freedom. The 14th amendment defined citizenship, then not only made discriminatory legislation (such as black codes) illegal, but provided consequences for states that did not comply. The Reconstruction Acts, although too broad and expensive to be applied in their entirety, required that the former Confederate States ratify the 13th and 14th amendments, as well as submit redrafted state Constitutions in order to be readmitted to the Union. The 15th Amendment made it possible for people to vote regardless of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude”, making it a radical, although certainly not selfless, act that granted African-Americans political power

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