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Successes And Failures Of The Reconstruction Era

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The Reconstruction era was a historical time period that followed after the Civil War (Dec 8, 1863-Mar 31, 1877), in which the United States grappled with how to reconstruct society, particularly in the southern states, while integrating the newly freedmen into sociopolitical and labor systems. Although Reconstruction granted African Americans the right to certain freedoms, including the right to buy and own property, marry, make contracts, etc., it also enforced segregationist laws. The laws at the time, (those being the Jim Crow laws and Black Codes) contradicted the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments through loopholes in order to retain white supremacy. Legislators were keen on making separate arrangements for African Americans and white people that were overall inherently unequal. …show more content…

Legal arrangements that included sharecropping, essentially delivered a slavery-like structure. Landowners would rent out a plot of their land to tenants in exchange for a share of the crop, which would unknowingly trap said tenants into accumulating debt and winding up in poverty for generations to come. Without enslaved laborers, landowners were unable to farm their land, thus creating sharecropping. This labor system began declining after The Great Depression, and mechanization in the late 1930’s. The Jim Crow Era was a racial system, operating between 1877 to the mid 1960’s. Named after a black minstrel character, the set of repressive laws enforced racial segregation in southern states and legalized it. Under Jim Crow, African Americans were classified as being “inferior“ to white people, who feared

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The first few decades after the Civil war was a growing age for the South and we can separate the reconstruction period into two separate categories: Reconstruction overseen by the Federal government and a type of local reconstruction in each state, following the withdrawal of Federal involvement in that state. During initial reconstruction there is very little segregation, blacks were given rights, they used those rights and in one instance in Alabama, a native white republican informed the governor of Alabama that men who would go and inform the black population of their rights were needed, these men were found and worked with blacks informing them of the rights that they

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Page 1 of 8 Running head: PRESIDENTIAL TRIUMPHS AND FAILURES1 Presidential Triumphs and Failures During Reconstruction EraTrent M. AndersonDaymar CollegeAuthor NoteTrent M. Anderson, Associate’s Degree Business Program, Daymar CollegeTrent M. Anderson, is now in Bachelor’s Degree Business Program, Daymar College PRESIDENTIAL TRIUMPHS AND FAILURES2AbstractThere were two Presidents who had the difficult issues to be dealt with during the Reconstruction Era. During the Reconstruction Era there were three main plans. Abraham Lincoln offered his plan for reunification of the United States with his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. The citizens of the South had to take an oath of loyalty, and once 10% of the state had taken the oath

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American Reconstruction has been a hot topic of debate since it was considered finished. The post Civil War Reconstruction period was unsuccessful because of the lack of power held by the Radical Republicans, the shortage of northern influence in the south, and the closed minds of southern government officials. This was magnified after President Lincoln's death, when Andrew Johnson took presidency. Historian Eric Foner described Johnson as, "Once lionized as a heroic defender of the Constitution against Radical Republicans, Johnson today is viewed by historians as one of the worst presidents to occupy the White House. "

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Jim Crow was not a person, it was a series of laws that imposed legal segregation between white Americans and African Americans in the American South. It promoting the status “Separate but Equal”, but for the African American community that was not the case. African Americans were continuously ridiculed, and were treated as inferiors. Although slavery was abolished in 1865, the legal segregation of white Americans and African Americans was still a continuing controversial subject and was extended for almost a hundred years (abolished in 1964). Remembering Jim Crow: African Americans Tell About Life in the Segregated South is a series of primary accounts of real people who experienced this era first-hand and was edited by William H.Chafe, Raymond

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This question truly depends on how one interprets the entire obstacles that took place during the Reconstruction. Case in point, blacks were not equal although, they were free officially, blacks remained fighting for their equal rights. The Jim Crow laws were put into place, black codes were developed and blacks were unable to exercise their voting rights. The Carpetbaggers came from the North only to gain economically from the South’s loss during the Civil War, leaving many southerners homeless. In addition the South angry and bitter, they felt there way of life no longer existed and rebelled against free slavery, forming white supremacy the Klu Klux Klan.

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In the Late 1800s, there was an era called the Jim Crow Era. Jim Crow was a character that was created in 1863 by white men to amuse white people. This character began to grow to symbolize one of the most tragic events in American history, known as, racism. African-Americans would become slaves simply because they were African-American in 1865. Even though, we do not have slaves in today’s society, we do still see some rippling affects from the Jim Crow Era.

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In the years following the civil war, the union and the confederacy worked together to salvage land and fix towns that had been destroyed. Because the Union attacked the south at their homes, entire towns were in ruin. There were left in an agricultural crisis because of attacks on farms, destroying barns and killing animals. Reconstruction was necessary because of this. As far as success goes, the Reconstruction Acts were mostly unsuccessful.

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Reconstruction, between 1865-1877, allowed for the South to take control and was ultimately a failure. Although Freedmen’s Bureau was helpful in providing care for the recently freed African Americans, but it ended up being a failure when it was vetoed by Andrew Johnson in 1866. The Freedmen’s Bureau was meant to provide the former slaves with the necessities of life. Andrew Johnson in disagreement with the radical republicans vetoed the bill destroying any chance for integration into society for the African Americans. The 13th amendment was a success because it allowed African Americans to be freed from the bonds of slavery, but it did not allow for healthy integration into to everyday society.

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It was a time when blacks were always regarded as inferior to whites and there were strict guidlines for black etiquette when interacting with whites. One example of the racial inferiority enforced by law during Jim Crow is that when driving, whites always had the right of way over blacks. When approaching an intersection with drivers of both races, blacks always had to yield to the white drivers, no matter how many there were. During the Jim Crow Era, lynchings of black men were fairly common around the United States, a common reasoning being that the man who had been killed had raped a white woman. In reality, many of the lynchings were in response to consensual, but illegal relationships between white women and black men.

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The Reconstruction period was a brutal time period for America in order to fix the things destroyed during the Civil War, but it was overall worth it. There were many good things about Reconstruction, but also bad. I personally believe that there were more good things than bad. One negatives is that the slaves weren’t really free meaning they didn’t have completely equal rights, but this was the start of the Civil Rights movement that shaped our country. One of the things that all started movement towards Civil Rights was the 13th Amendment.

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The Reconstruction era ending was among the years of 1873 to 1877 under the leadership of Lincoln, Johnson, Grant, and Hayes. There were a few main events that ended the Reconstruction era, one of these being the change from Republican power to Democratic power of the House. A depression in the economy was intense throughout the country in 1873. Focus turned away from the south, northern voters became less captivated in the Reconstruction of the south and more focused on the economy in the north.

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The reconstruction era was a major point in history riddled with turmoil. With the confederate loss, readmittance to the union was crucial for the southern states to survive. The union had dominated in war and their economy was progressing while the south was on a major decline. Due to this fact plans for reconstruction arose. There were three different plans made by congress, Abraham Lincoln, and Andrew Johnson.

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Reconstruction is the time period after the Civil War, where the country attempted to improve the Union. There were many successes, but what also comes along with success is failure. During the reconstruction many failures were present; such as the lack of racial equality and blatant racism towards blacks, a failing economy in the South, and tense relations between the North and the South. This created a very intense and challenging period of time for the Union.

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Jim Crow was the caste system implemented in the United States from 1877 to mid 1960’s. Jim Crow laws mainly impacted the southern and border states, but the United States as a whole faced the consequences. Jim Crow was rooted in the belief that white people were far more superior than black people. It was thought that white people were intellectually, morally, and in every other way better than black people, and Jim Crow reflects this ideal. Jim Crow laws could affect major topics like white and black people’s education system being separate, or something as simple as it being illegal for white and black people to go boating together.

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Reconstruction can be perceived to be an era where all actions made abided the documents made earlier in history and it could be truly taken that way when the North was still in the South. As soon as the Northern troops were pulled from the South, it went to the way it had been and some of the decisions ended up going against the amendments and other written rules. In the Constitution it is written “All men are created equal” if this was true then why were black codes established in the South to restrict the rights that African Americans were given? The codes ensured that even though slavery was abolished, African Americans were still available for labor. According to History.com, many states required blacks to sign yearly labor contracts and if they refused, it resulted in either arrest, fines or forced labor.

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