Reconstruction Dbq

The Union victory in the Civil War in 1865 gave millions of slaves their freedom, however, the process of rebuilding the South during what is known as the Reconstruction Era, that took place between 1865 and 1877, introduced a whole new set of significant challenges. The most important part of reconstruction was to secure rights for former slaves. Radical republicans, aware that newly freed slaves would face racism and inequality, passed a series of progressive laws and amendments in Congress that protected blacks’ rights under federal and state law. This included the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments that granted black men citizenship and the right to vote. However, before the 14th and 15th amendments were passed, the Civil Rights Act of

The Freedmen’s Bureau was a U.S. federal agency established in 1865, two months before the war ended. Its purpose was to help freed slaves transition from slavery to freedom for up to one year after the war ended. The bureau helped freed slaves find their lost families and taught them how to read and write so they could better themselves. They provided food, housing, medical aid, established schools and even offered legal assistance. They urged blacks to seek employment and also protected them by keeping an eye on contracts between labor and management. However due to insufficient funding and lack of staff, the bureau ceased its operations in

The North had lost interest in helping Southern blacks. There were too many economic troubles throughout the country and reconstruction was no longer a huge concern, people had moved on to other things. The revival of the Democratic Party and a growing tolerance for racist attitudes had a lot to do with it as well. Many changes had begun to be made and it seemed as though the country was moving backwards instead of forward. Southern states once again began to implement the same laws that the 14th and 15th amendment were supposed to outlaw. Throughout the 1890s, Southern states enacted the “Jim Crow” laws, which were very similar to the Black Codes. These laws made it illegal for blacks and whites to share public facilities. Schools, hospitals, restaurants, even drinking fountains were segregated. By 1910, blacks were no longer allowed to vote in the south. These laws stayed in effect up until the 1960s, when the civil rights movement launched an all-out campaign against them. Ultimately, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, declaring and banning these laws unconstitutional and ensuring equal rights for all