The Civil War was a dangerous, yet extremely influential war. It was a war that magnified the problem that was slavery. Slavery was a big thing back then, and it separated the states considerably. The whole of the Confederate states, which were the original thirteen colonies, were divided into the North and the South. The North was against slavery, while the South was composed of many slave owners. The Civil War could be compared to America’s bloodiest clash, and it resulted in the death of more than 620,000, with millions more injured. The Civil War lasted for four treacherous years, from 1861- 1865. This long time period filled with blood, sweat and tears shaped the world. Without it, the large area that is America would not have as much …show more content…
Soon, every southern state passed Black Codes, which were laws that greatly limited the freedom of the blacks. They mandated African Americans to sign work contracts, creating working conditions like those when they were enslaved. In many southern states, any African Americans who could not prove they were employed could be arrested. The consequences could be one year of work without pay. African Americans weren’t even allowed to own a firearm. They were also not allowed to rent property, unless it was in a …show more content…
“If you call this freedom, what do you call slavery?” one Civil War veteran asked. The codes were so harsh, it wasn’t much different from slavery for the African AmericansThe Black Codes angered many Republicans, who thought that the South was returning to its old policy of states’ rights. Most Republicans were moderates who wanted the South to have loyal state governments. Radical Republicans, on the other hand, took a harsher perspective. They wanted the federal government to force change in the South. Like the moderates, they disliked the Black Codes. However, the Radical Republicans wanted the federal government to be much more involved in Reconstruction. They were frightened that too many southern leaders remained loyal to the former Confederacy and would not enforce the new laws. Thaddeus Stevens, a harsh critic of President Johnson, was man of honesty, and he had a sharp tongue. He argued tirelessly for African Americans’ rights, including the crucial right to vote and the right to fair laws. Urged on by the Radicals in 1866, Congress proposed a new bill, one that would give the Freedmen’s Bureau more