history essay, please ignore unless u are in my history class
America’s Issues During Reconstruction
The American Civil War, which began in 1861, was fought to resolve many disputed issues between the Northern and Southern states. Although the Civil War resolved issues such as slavery and state’s rights, the ending of the war left the nation in a state of reconstruction with problems of its own. During Reconstruction, the Union had to solve issues such as how to admit rebellions states back in the union, deal with former Confederate officials, and determine the rights of newly freed African-Americans. While measures and attempts were made to resolve these issues, they were not always successful. However, the changes that did occur during the time of Reconstruction could not have been brought about without the Civil War.
In response to Lincoln's election as president, eleven Southern states seceded from the union. This sparked the fire of the Civil War, which was fought to keep those states in the Union. However, when the war ended and the North emerged victorious, they weren’t about to just let the eleven rebellious states reenter the Union. Thus, the question was raised as to how the nation would accept these states back into the Union. Since the constitutions gave no guidelines or rules in the event of secession, the decision of what to do with the Southern states was in the hands of the federal government. . Johnson’s plan for the Southern states was to establish provisional governments in the South in order to draw up a new constitution that would be submitted to Congress for approval. Lincoln’s ideas were similar to those of Johnson’s yet his plan did differ. He also suggested that states should create new constitutions and submit them to Congress, however, he also suggested that the new constitutions meet the demands of the fourteenth amendment and receive approval by at least ten percent of registered voters. Congress plan, which was strongly resembled Lincoln’s, was eventually enacted to admit states back into the Union. With the constitution’s plan, a fifty percent approval of the constitution was necessary and the military was sent in to enforce the new governments. Under these provisions, states began writing new constitutions and reentering the Union.
Although a plan to allow states back into the Union had been decided on, the question of who was allowed to vote on the new constitutions was still unanswered. Many northerners did not want Confederate officials, the very people who had torn the Union apart and created the entire problem of secession, to participate in politics until the new constitutions were agreed upon. In the North, a fear of the Southern elite taking over still existed. It was this uncertainty that seemed to influence Johnson’s decisions on the political rights of former Confederate officials. First, Johnson demanded that former Confederates take an oath of loyalty to the Union before regaining their political power. However, he also made rules as to who could take the oath of loyalty. Johnson declared that Southerners owning a certain amount of property (the wealthy) who assisted the rebel cause could not take the oath. Instead, they had to request amnesty from the President himself. The fact that this law directly targeted the wealthy seemed to be an attempt by Johnson to keep the rich from becoming powerful in the South again. However, this plan did not do that. Because Johnson so liberally granted pardons, the wealthy Southerners and former Confederate officials and rebels regained their political rights and thus their power.
Questions about the rights of newly freed African-Americans were also raised during the Reconstruction era. Through the Civil War, slavery was abolished and all slaves were instantly free. But were the blacks now citizens? What were their political rights? Could they own land? These were all questions that Americans had to answer after the Civil War ended. The government used the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments to answer many of the questions raised during the Reconstruction era. Through these amendments, blacks were declared citizens of the United States and granted equal protection under the law. Thus, rulings of Supreme Court cases such as The Dred Scott Case, which declared blacks were not citizens of the United States, were no longer valid. These amendments also tried to answer the question of black suffrage in the south, perhaps the most controversial issue during Reconstruction. Essentially, the amendments did not give clear instruction on whether the states had to allow African-Americans to vote. However, if they did not allow blacks to vote, their representation in the house would decrease as a result. On the contrary, if the states did allow blacks to vote, it could greatly affect Southern politics. The majority of white Southerners at the time were Democrats and most blacks aligned themselves with the Republican Party. Thus, allowing blacks the right to vote would threaten the supremacy of Democratic Party in the south. In the end, some states decided to allow blacks to vote while other did not. Despite the struggle for suffrage, blacks did gain gained various civil liberties such as the ability to own land, hold a job, and purchase items. However, the fact African-Americans were legally entitled to these rights did not always mean they were capable of experiencing these new freedoms. Many whites refused to sell land or offer jobs to African Americans out of fear that former slaves would prosper and whites would lose their status. In addition, groups such as the Ku Klux Klan actively tried to keep blacks from socially and politically participating in a society. Members of the Klan were white supremacists and through their beatings, attacks, and murders of prominent black leaders and officials, they effectively achieved their goal. They created a fear in the minds of many blacks and thus kept a majority of them from taking part or completely involving themselves in Southern society. In response to the hatred and cruelty they were seeing from whites, many blacks began forming independent lives away from whites. They did so by establishing black neighborhoods, churches, and schools. As a result, blacks often secluded themselves from society instead of becoming incorporated in it as the new amendments had intended. Despite the fact that the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments attempted to ensure the liberties of blacks in America, they only did so partially.
Although many changes did occur in American society during reconstruction, none of the changes would have been possible without the civil war. Both the north and the south had strong opinions and ideas for what they wanted in the nation. The only way for change to occur was for one side to give in and neither side was about to just give up. The entire southern society revolved around the institution of slavery and yet it was that very institution that was tearing the Union apart. While the north wanted the country’s new territories to be open for free labor in order to boost the economy, the south wanted the new territories to be used in the expansion of slavery, the basis of their economy. Tensions were growing and they eventually resulted in a confrontation that evolved into the Civil War. Lincoln’s election as president in 1860 was the straw that broke the camel’s back for the south. In their eyes, they only way to protect their way of life was to secede. Thus, they left the Union and instigated the Civil War by doing so. However, by winning the war, the South gained the upper hand to begin making decisions to reconstruct the country as a whole. With this power, the North made drastic changes in American society. First, they brought the rebellious states back into the Union under specific conditions that protected the unity of the nation. With this authority, they also created drastic changes in society through measures such as the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments, which radically altered the status of African Americans in American society. However, not all issues raised by the Civil War were resolved during Reconstruction. Although blacks did see substantial change in their status, they were by no means equal to whites and they were often denied basic rights. It would take the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century for blacks to see legal equality; but even today they are not truly equal. Many efforts were made to restore The United States during Reconstruction; and while the nation did see many effective changes, not all of the issues created by the Civil War were truly solved.
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The American Civil War, which began in 1861, was fought to resolve many disputed issues between the Northern and Southern states. Although the Civil War resolved issues such as slavery and state’s rights, the ending of the war left the nation in a state of reconstruction with problems of its own. During Reconstruction, the Union had to solve issues such as how to admit rebellions states back in the union, deal with former Confederate officials, and determine the rights of newly freed African-Americans. While measures and attempts were made to resolve these issues, they were not always successful. However, the changes that did occur during the time of Reconstruction could not have been brought about without the Civil War.
In response to Lincoln's election as president, eleven Southern states seceded from the union. This sparked the fire of the Civil War, which was fought to keep those states in the Union. However, when the war ended and the North emerged victorious, they weren’t about to just let the eleven rebellious states reenter the Union. Thus, the question was raised as to how the nation would accept these states back into the Union. Since the constitutions gave no guidelines or rules in the event of secession, the decision of what to do with the Southern states was in the hands of the federal government. . Johnson’s plan for the Southern states was to establish provisional governments in the South in order to draw up a new constitution that would be submitted to Congress for approval. Lincoln’s ideas were similar to those of Johnson’s yet his plan did differ. He also suggested that states should create new constitutions and submit them to Congress, however, he also suggested that the new constitutions meet the demands of the fourteenth amendment and receive approval by at least ten percent of registered voters. Congress plan, which was strongly resembled Lincoln’s, was eventually enacted to admit states back into the Union. With the constitution’s plan, a fifty percent approval of the constitution was necessary and the military was sent in to enforce the new governments. Under these provisions, states began writing new constitutions and reentering the Union.
Although a plan to allow states back into the Union had been decided on, the question of who was allowed to vote on the new constitutions was still unanswered. Many northerners did not want Confederate officials, the very people who had torn the Union apart and created the entire problem of secession, to participate in politics until the new constitutions were agreed upon. In the North, a fear of the Southern elite taking over still existed. It was this uncertainty that seemed to influence Johnson’s decisions on the political rights of former Confederate officials. First, Johnson demanded that former Confederates take an oath of loyalty to the Union before regaining their political power. However, he also made rules as to who could take the oath of loyalty. Johnson declared that Southerners owning a certain amount of property (the wealthy) who assisted the rebel cause could not take the oath. Instead, they had to request amnesty from the President himself. The fact that this law directly targeted the wealthy seemed to be an attempt by Johnson to keep the rich from becoming powerful in the South again. However, this plan did not do that. Because Johnson so liberally granted pardons, the wealthy Southerners and former Confederate officials and rebels regained their political rights and thus their power.
Questions about the rights of newly freed African-Americans were also raised during the Reconstruction era. Through the Civil War, slavery was abolished and all slaves were instantly free. But were the blacks now citizens? What were their political rights? Could they own land? These were all questions that Americans had to answer after the Civil War ended. The government used the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments to answer many of the questions raised during the Reconstruction era. Through these amendments, blacks were declared citizens of the United States and granted equal protection under the law. Thus, rulings of Supreme Court cases such as The Dred Scott Case, which declared blacks were not citizens of the United States, were no longer valid. These amendments also tried to answer the question of black suffrage in the south, perhaps the most controversial issue during Reconstruction. Essentially, the amendments did not give clear instruction on whether the states had to allow African-Americans to vote. However, if they did not allow blacks to vote, their representation in the house would decrease as a result. On the contrary, if the states did allow blacks to vote, it could greatly affect Southern politics. The majority of white Southerners at the time were Democrats and most blacks aligned themselves with the Republican Party. Thus, allowing blacks the right to vote would threaten the supremacy of Democratic Party in the south. In the end, some states decided to allow blacks to vote while other did not. Despite the struggle for suffrage, blacks did gain gained various civil liberties such as the ability to own land, hold a job, and purchase items. However, the fact African-Americans were legally entitled to these rights did not always mean they were capable of experiencing these new freedoms. Many whites refused to sell land or offer jobs to African Americans out of fear that former slaves would prosper and whites would lose their status. In addition, groups such as the Ku Klux Klan actively tried to keep blacks from socially and politically participating in a society. Members of the Klan were white supremacists and through their beatings, attacks, and murders of prominent black leaders and officials, they effectively achieved their goal. They created a fear in the minds of many blacks and thus kept a majority of them from taking part or completely involving themselves in Southern society. In response to the hatred and cruelty they were seeing from whites, many blacks began forming independent lives away from whites. They did so by establishing black neighborhoods, churches, and schools. As a result, blacks often secluded themselves from society instead of becoming incorporated in it as the new amendments had intended. Despite the fact that the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments attempted to ensure the liberties of blacks in America, they only did so partially.
Although many changes did occur in American society during reconstruction, none of the changes would have been possible without the civil war. Both the north and the south had strong opinions and ideas for what they wanted in the nation. The only way for change to occur was for one side to give in and neither side was about to just give up. The entire southern society revolved around the institution of slavery and yet it was that very institution that was tearing the Union apart. While the north wanted the country’s new territories to be open for free labor in order to boost the economy, the south wanted the new territories to be used in the expansion of slavery, the basis of their economy. Tensions were growing and they eventually resulted in a confrontation that evolved into the Civil War. Lincoln’s election as president in 1860 was the straw that broke the camel’s back for the south. In their eyes, they only way to protect their way of life was to secede. Thus, they left the Union and instigated the Civil War by doing so. However, by winning the war, the South gained the upper hand to begin making decisions to reconstruct the country as a whole. With this power, the North made drastic changes in American society. First, they brought the rebellious states back into the Union under specific conditions that protected the unity of the nation. With this authority, they also created drastic changes in society through measures such as the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments, which radically altered the status of African Americans in American society. However, not all issues raised by the Civil War were resolved during Reconstruction. Although blacks did see substantial change in their status, they were by no means equal to whites and they were often denied basic rights. It would take the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century for blacks to see legal equality; but even today they are not truly equal. Many efforts were made to restore The United States during Reconstruction; and while the nation did see many effective changes, not all of the issues created by the Civil War were truly solved.
FEEDBACK GREATLY APPRECIATED!