What Was The Main Cause Of Reconstruction Dbq

Prior to the Reconstruction Era, the Union and the Confederate states had just engaged in a war concerning slavery and the unity of the United States, which is also known as the Civil War. The damage from the war was economically, socially and politically devastating to the United States of America as a whole. The newly liberated African Americans were harassed, tormented and even killed in the communities they had developed after the Civil War. Literacy tests were implemented as a way to prevented the miseducated African American male from suffrage. Lastly, early Jim Crow laws originated during this time period. The Reconstruction Era not only did not solve any of the existing economical, political or social problems but also introduced several

This case went to the Supreme Court, where Plessy lost and the doctrine “separate but equal” was adopted (Document 10). This disproved the 14th Amendment, which states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws” (Document 2). This amendment grants citizenship and equal protection of innate rights and protection under the court of law, in simple terms. Plessy was denied fair trial due to the fact that he was of African descent. This case made the separate but equal doctrine constitutional in all public accommodations (Document 10). This “separate but equal” doctrine trickled into the education system, workforce and etc. From prior knowledge, it is fact that white people were paid more than African American people for doing the same job. Black children received separate educations from white children, in separate school buildings and in separate communities with less funding. Early Jim Crow laws originated in the Era of

While the enslaved African American were liberated physically, the system of Jim Crow and numerous ideologies and/ or doctrines kept them idle as a race in the American society. The Reconstruction Era promoted a new culture of people with new ideas, but the violence, injustice and torment impeded the growth of the African American people and what the nation could be as a whole. Today, we, the African American people, still face these same injustices. We are tormented by police and while we are the “minority”, we make up the prisons’ “majority.” A fair trial does not apply to those of color due to the many prejudices against us. The school systems provided in urban areas where the population is majorly African American and/ or colored people alike is less than the education system and resources provided elsewhere. Similar to Susie Taylor King:Reminiscences of My Life, no matter how much we fight for and contribute to this country, the odds still remain against us. The Reconstruction Era did not solve any issues regarding politics, economics or society, instead it created a long lasting cycle that seems to be never ending considering that we still deal with the same issues