ipl-logo

Reconstruction Dbq Research Paper

992 Words4 Pages

Many Americans had high hopes for life after the Civil War. This period was called Reconstruction and happened partially in the Southern starters from 1865 to 1877. During this time, the government was focused on restoring the landscape destroyed during the war but also regaining the unity of the people and states. For Radical Republicans, Reconstruction was an opportunity for freedmen to finally gain their rights back and to punish the South for their actions. On the other hand, President Andrew Johnson had a different plan for Reconstruction, this included giving former Confederate officials the right to hold office and not granting equality to all freedmen. During this time of Reconstruction, there were many differing viewpoints. While some …show more content…

An important goal of the Radical Republicans after the Civil War was to provide African Americans with equality in government. In doing so, by passing the 15th Amendment, no citizens of the United States could be neglected the right to vote on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude (Document C). This allowed men of different races to vote in upcoming elections. By passing this amendment, there was great hope that Black Americans were finally gaining back their political rights. During Reconstruction, it occurred that many African Americans were starting to run for office, in South Carolina there were more Black State legislatures than White. While these small successes started to seem as if freedmen were finally gaining back rights, they would soon be erased as white citizens in the South started to work around them. Long-term policies such as literacy tests and poll taxes were put in place to try and prevent Black Americans from getting involved in the government. The Louisiana Literacy Test gave voters a very limited amount of time to complete, what seemed to white men to be a simple task, of finding letters in the alphabet or circling certain numbers (Document G). This was a very difficult and almost impossible job for new freedmen who had never been allowed an education before. Those who were able to pass the test and vote were then harshly threatened and mocked. Black Americans were once again excluded from political activities. During Reconstruction, there was a strong attempt to finally give African Americans their right to government, and there was some progress. However, state governments in the South worked around them, continuously limiting black political

Show More
Related

Pros And Cons Of Reconstruction After Civil War

1041 Words | 5 Pages

INTRO: Reconstruction; the most conflicting era in the United States history. Coming directly after the Civil War from 1865 thorough 1877, Reconstruction played a major part in the Land of the Free’s backstory. Throughout Reconstruction many things occurred within the North and South due to chaos within the government system, neighborhoods, and social classes. The creator of Reconstruction and the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln created the idea of Reconstruction in the South while the Civil War was going on.

Read More

Reconstruction Dbq Research Paper

600 Words | 3 Pages

Between the periods 1865 and 1877, Reconstruction took place, a time in which the North and South spent rebuilding after the Civil War. However, Reconstruction primarily took place in the South since all former slaves were now free, meaning that millions of people now required things such as jobs, a house, food, etc. Reconstruction was especially fundamental because this time would be spent attempting to grant African Americans social, political, and economic equality, something that had been withheld for many years. And while Reconstruction was successful in providing African Americans with political equality, it failed to establish social and economic equality. When it came to political equality for African Americans, Reconstruction was successful.

Read More

Reconstruction Dbq Essay

820 Words | 4 Pages

This was due to literacy tests and poll taxes. In 1870, the 15th Amendment was ratified. This amendment gave all Americans the right to vote regardless of race (Document C). However, after the amendment was passed, Southern states passed a series of laws designed to restrict African Americans voting rights. First, they added the grandfather clause.

Read More

Dbq Essay On The Period Of Reconstruction

993 Words | 4 Pages

The Civil War and the period of Reconstruction engendered significant political, social, and economic changes in American society, with many effects of these changes continuing to influence the United States in the twentieth century. Following the end of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln and Congress were determined to rebuild and reunify the nation. Lincoln wanted to restore the United States by readmitting the southern states into the Union, as well as provide newly-freed African Americans with more rights and opportunities. The Reconstruction period aimed to improve life for all individuals, with an emphasis on African Americans. However, it had an opposite effect and adversely impacted the lives of many.

Read More

Constitutional Amendment Dbq

528 Words | 3 Pages

In his speech he explained why they wanted the right to vote, “If the Negro knows enough to pay taxes to support government, he knows enough to vote; taxation and representation should go together... ” (“African Americans,” 2016). In 1869, when Congress debated on the Fifteenth Amendment, the first ever black national meeting of African Americans took place in the convention in Washington, D.C and those who attended the convention spent time meeting with member of Congress, encouraging them to pass a strong Amendment guaranteeing black male suffrage worldwide (“African Americans,” 2016). Democrats feared ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment, because they believed that it would create 170,000 loyal black Republican voters in the North and West and to vote against it, they claimed that it restricted the states’ rights to run their own election and also that the low literacy of the black population would affect the votes (“African Americans,” 2016). Despite all Democratic oppositions, the Republicans won ratification victories and in March 30, 1869, President Grant officially proclaimed the Fifteenth Amendment as part of the Constitution.

Read More

African Americans After Reconstruction Essay

565 Words | 3 Pages

Post Civil War, freed slaves were not allowed to vote. The democratic republic of America excluded black people entirely from its system of voting and lawmaking until the 15th Amendment was ratified on February 3, 1870. When black people were, by law, allowed to take part in democratic votes, they were still kept from doing so. The governments of many states, most of which were Southern, used poll taxes and literacy tests to keep black people from being able to vote. Those who passed these tests were threatened with violence from individuals if they decided to exercise their right to vote, which effectively disenfranchised the entire race (Fifteenth Amendment).

Read More

How Did Americans Fail To Bring Equality To Slaves During Reconstruction

891 Words | 4 Pages

In the long run, the Reconstruction era did not fail at giving slaves equality if just took longer than expected. Reconstruction was a challenging and lengthy time period dealing with Lincoln’s plan, Johnson 's plan, and the Ku Klux

Read More

Goals Of Reconstruction

1074 Words | 5 Pages

At the end of the Civil War between the North and South arose the Reconstruction era. This was a time period of the late 1800s where the united states, specifically the North started to attempt the rebuilding of the South. Abolitionists were eager to see the end of slavery and Lincoln attempted to end slavery. President Lincoln attempted to put in place the Emancipation Proclamation which stated all slaves in confederate states would be free. This was to weaken the southern states; except, the confederate states did not obey.

Read More

The Successes And Failures Of The Reconstruction Era

1063 Words | 5 Pages

The Reconstruction Era lasted from 1865-1877, this was during the time period in which the United States was trying to rebuild after the Civil War and address the issue of slavery. This was supposed to give African Americans citizenship and voting rights but it didn’t go exactly according to plan. W.E.B. DuBois had an interesting perspective on Reconstruction since he lived through that era and witnessed effects of it. Success but also failures came out of this era and it all depends on what stance people have on it. …..….The

Read More

Reconstruction After The Civil War Essay

645 Words | 3 Pages

The American civil war led to the reunion of the South and the North. But, its consequences led the Republicans to take the lead of reconstructing what the war had destroyed especially in the South because it contained larger numbers of newly freed slaves. Just after the civil war, America entered into what was called as the reconstruction era. Reconstruction refers to when “the federal government established the terms on which rebellious Southern states would be integrated back into the Union” (Watts 246). As a further matter, it also meant “the process of helping the 4 million freed slaves after the civil war [to] make the transition to freedom” (DeFord and Schwarz 96).

Read More

Failure Of Reconstruction Essay

1136 Words | 5 Pages

The American Civil War that was started due to the controversy over slavery in 1861, was won by The Union supported by President Lincoln against the Confederate states. President Lincoln’s original goal during the civil war was to reunify the nation as quickly as possible and help both sides come to an understanding. After the Civil War ended in 1865, the newly formed United States’ reconstruction era began. The Reconstruction era was put into effect by the Congress in 1866 and lasted until 1877. The Union’s victory in the Civil War had given African Americans a new sense of hope, devastated the southern economy, and eased the history of disunity in American political life.

Read More

The Montgomery Bus Boycott: The Civil Rights Movement

234 Words | 1 Pages

Most were denied the right to vote. A special tax, the poll tax, was required of all voters but was to expensive for blacks. Voters were forced to pass a literacy test. Due to some African American’s unavailability of education

Read More

Voting Rights Act Of 1965 Essay

579 Words | 3 Pages

In 1870, the Fifteenth amendment was passed which stated, “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” (civilrights.org). Although this amendment was passed, it would take more than sixty years until African Americans were fairly admitted to vote. Before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, African Americans fought discrimination and violence on the way to the voting ballot. Jim Crow laws enacted various voting restrictions, including poll taxes, literacy tests, moral character tests, and document interpreting tests. The Voting rights act of 1965 would silence all the voting rights issues and bring fairness and equality to all races.

Read More

Essay On The Voting Rights Act Of 1965

1821 Words | 8 Pages

Even though the government adopted the Voting Rights Act in 1965, African Americans’ suffrages were still restricted because of southern states’ obstructions. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was important for blacks to participate in political elections, but before this act was passed, there were several events led to its proposal. The government gave African Americans’ the right to vote by passing the 15th Amendment, but in the Southern States, blacks’ suffrages were limited by grandfather clauses, “poll taxes, literacy tests, and other bureaucratic restrictions” (ourdocuments.gov). As times went on, most African Americans couldn’t register their votes.

Read More

Electoral College Voting

944 Words | 4 Pages

In 1856 the vote shifted to all white males. In 1870 the right to vote was given to all African Americans, but it did not last because of Southern State’s Jim Crow laws in 1889. These disenfranchisement laws were placed to once again limit the rights of all Black Americans. To severely prohibit the ability for blacks to vote, people did all they could to make it as difficult as possible for most free slaves and their next generation to simply stay out of the nominations entirely. These Southern states would remake franchise laws to enable a strict regulation on being eligible to vote.

Read More

More about Reconstruction Dbq Research Paper

Open Document