Premium Essay

Essay On Reconstruction After Civil War

Submitted By
Words 749
Pages 3
The civil war caused a lot of damage and tension between the confederate and the union. Reconstruction was the time period following the civil war as the confederate and union began to reunite and join together. Some of reconstruction was successful while other goals failed to succeed. The reconstruction of the nation had a huge impact on culture, politics and economics. Despite Lincoln's tragic death in 1865, the process of reconstruction continued. However, although some parts of reconstruction benefited the nation, much of it also hurt the growing country. Culture throughout the North and South changed greatly following the civil war. One goal following the war was for blacks to be treated equal as whites. However, it was very hard for …show more content…
After Lincoln's assassination, Johnson, a democrat took over office. The senate feared that Johnson would block military reconstruction, leaving the republicans with limited power. Johnson was impeached in 1868 for dismissing his secretary of war without first getting approval. However, the judicial system of checks and balances, proved it worked when Johnson was acquitted by one vote. The radical republicans were very concerned about holding majority of the power. The party fought for the blacks rights as a way to assure black support, gaining more votes. They fought for equality for the slaves and helped ratify the 13th, 14th and 15th amendment. Not only did the radical republicans fight for blacks to get the right to vote, but, blacks even got involved in the government. There was African American men in the house of representatives, as governors and practicing local government. Despite the republicans attempts, the south was still opposed to former property now having power. Many states established the grandfather clause, stating that a man couldn't vote if their grandfather couldn't. Being that most of their grandfathers were slaves, many men were hopeless and unable to vote. Despite republicans attempts to introduce blacks into government, Johnson and the democrats of the south used all of their power to stop

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Essay On Reconstruction After Civil War

...Essay 1 The years following the Civil War were laden with political, social, and economic strife, especially in the South. While the events of Reconstruction provided political, social, and economic gains for various groups, Reconstruction can only be described as a minor success due to its many shortcomings and failures. The most notable successes of Reconstruction include reunification of the Union, passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, and establishment of the Freedmen’s Bureau. Reuniting the Union was Lincoln’s and many other Northerners’ main focus after the Civil War, although the last ex-confederate state was not readmitted until 1870. The passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments officially outlawed slavery, granted freedmen equal protection under the law, and gave black males the right to vote. While these helped equalize blacks and whites politically, the Freedmen’s Bureau was established to help provide economic and social assistance to former slaves. The bureau offered necessities like housing and food, but more importantly built schools and provided education and employment opportunities to blacks following the Civil War. With much southern resistance to the new political rights of former slaves, the...

Words: 606 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Hist Exam Review

...• Robert Livingston • War of 1812- Military conflict between US and Britain following revolution about unresolved issues: trade restrictions, etc. • Tecumseh- Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy; opposed US in war of 1812. • John Quincy Adams- sixth president; whig. • Empire of Liberty- theme developed first by Thomas Jefferson to identify America's world responsibility to spread freedom across the globe. Jefferson saw America's mission in terms of setting an example, expansion into the west, and by intervention abroad. • Transportation Revolution- early 1800s, development of steamboats, canals, and railroads. Faster transport of people, products, and knowledge. • National Road-  First major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Connection between the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and a gateway to the West for thousands of settlers. • Communication Revolution- Samuel Morse invented telegraph. • The Market Revolution- improvements in how goods were processed and fabricated as well as by a transformation of how labor was organized to process trade goods for consumption.  • Porkopolis- Cincinnati was the country's chief hog packing center, and herds of pigs traveled the streets. • Labor theory of value- The value of a commodity is only related to the labor needed to produce or obtain that commodity and not to other factors of production • Second Party System- 2 party system • Democrats-...

Words: 2107 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Apex Study 12345

...1.5.3 Test (TS): Post Civil War America! ! ! Test! U.S. History since the Civil War Sem 1 (S2561969)! ! ! SU14-Alex Sanford! Points possible: 60! ! ! ! ! ! Unit Six Big Question: What were the social and political consequences of the Civil War? What factors led to the expansion of the United States during the period after the Civil War, and what were the effects of expansion?! Section 1: Short Answer Questions (30 points)! Write multi-sentence responses for the prompts below. Be specific and give examples from the history we have learned.! A. An amendment to the U.S. Constitution changes laws for the entire country. Three amendments changed laws especially for African Americans. Explain how each of the following amendments changed the law for African Americans. (10 points total)! ! a. Thirteenth Amendment (3 points)! ! ! The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. It freed all African Americans and prevented them from being forced to return to slavery.! ! ! b. Fourteenth Amendment (4 points)! ! ! ! c. Fifteenth Amendment (3 points)! ! ! ! The amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws, and was proposed in response to issues related to former slaves following the American Civil War. All African Americans were now counted for purposes of representation.! The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal and...

Words: 1102 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

5.5.3 Test (Tst)

...5.5.3 Test (TS): Post Civil War America Test U.S. History Sem 1 (S3425683) Jasmine M Baca Points possible: 60 Date: _____06.14.2016_______ Unit Six Big Question: What were the social and political consequences of the Civil War? What factors led to the expansion of the United States during the period after the Civil War, and what were the effects of expansion? Section 1: Short Answer Questions (30 points) Write multi-sentence responses for the prompts below. Be specific and give examples from the history we have learned. A. An amendment to the U.S. Constitution changes laws for the entire country. Three amendments changed laws especially for African Americans. Explain how each of the following amendments changed the law for African Americans. (10 points total) a. Thirteenth Amendment (3 points) The thirteenth amendment ended slavery and involuntary servitude except for punishment as a crime. It prevented African Americans from being forced back into slavery. b. Fourteenth Amendment (4 points) the fourteenth amendment addresses citizenship rights and and equal protection of the laws. It was proposed in response to issues that were related to former slaves. c. Fifteenth Amendment (3 points) The fifteenth amendment prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on color, religion, and race. B. Answer the following questions:(10 points) a...

Words: 421 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

To What Extent Was The South Responsible For Reconstruction After The Civil War

...Who Killed Reconstruction ? Both the north and the south were responsible for killing reconstruction after the civil war. The north did not agree that slavery should be allowed but really just had given up on trying to convince the south. The south on the other hand simply refused to give into what the north was saying. To clarify reconstruction was the rebuilding of the united states after the civil war , this was a very tough time period that lasted up to 14 years. Though reconstruction occurred after the civil war many considered it just as painful as a war for many reasons. The northerners wanted to punish the southerns because of their ways of life and how they treated the african americans. My argument is that both the north and the south are responsible for killing reconstruction. The north may have wanted to end slavery and many other things that the south were doing but had given up on taking action. The northers weren’t so focused on fixing the situation and founded themselves being distracted from the leading situation. They also didn’t have great attitudes but seemed more racist which contributed to the end of reconstruction. “ Although political violence continue in the south”. The south would refuse any change that was...

Words: 603 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Vgfd

...Civil War Essay Prompts Reconstruction Historian Synopses: • Dunning School (Traditional): Dunning and Moore. It is a Tragic Era. The Southerners were tortured. The two underlying foundations: (1) the South should have been readmitted quickly after its defeat (2) there should have been no discussion of racial equality for the freedmen. He is accused of being racist and pro-southern. The Republicans were divided between leniency (conservatives) and punishment (scalawags and carpetbaggers – radicals). The freedmen are not to be blamed because they were pawns and were used by the Republicans. Once a freedman voted for a Republican, he was not paid back for his loyalty. Corrupt and incompetent Reconstruction governments that were eventually overthrown when Democrats regained control and the Tragic Era could come to an end. Bitterness and hatred between the races resulted. South was converted into a colonial appendage. What the Radicals were trying to do was dominate the South as though it were a colony. Moore emphasizes the punishment of North on South. This is the very negative Traditional school • Revisionist School: Simpkins & Woody. In spite of the Traditional charges of incompetence, the Reconstruction governments achieved a lot. Most wrote new constitutions that introduced long-needed laws about school, administration, civil and judicial rights, etc. They were successful. The Reconstruction governments were not controlled by blacks. In no Southern...

Words: 1232 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

How Did The United States End Reconstruction

...The End of Reconstruction The U.S. needed time to rebuild itself and come back together after the Civil War. The South’s factories and railroads were demolished in the War Between the States. The southern states went from providing 30% of the nation’s wealth and income to only providing 12%. The United States were also learning to accept freedmen into society. Reconstruction was taking place. Thesis: The South ended Reconstruction because of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), the extreme lengths they went to, and the rest of the South just letting it happen. After the Civil War, the United States of America was in desperate need of a reunion of the states. The South was in a bad condition after 4 years of fighting, more than a million casualties, and $337 million spent. It was imperative that some control was established so the Nation could be preserved. This is where Reconstruction came in. It was founded on the idea that “the...

Words: 874 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Dr. Eric Foner Calls Reconstruction “Americas Unfinished Revolution.”

...2016 Describe the “new birth of freedom” Lincoln called for in 1863 for that happened during Reconstruction. This essay will examine the new birth of freedom. On December 8, 1863, President Lincoln offered a preliminary plan to reunite Confederate states with the Union. The Civil War, in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, brought to America "a new birth of freedom." President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."By the war's end it was already clear that Reconstruction would bring far-reaching changes in Southern society and a redefinition of the place of blacks in American life. This is important because the expansive wording, the Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways. It applied only to states that had seceded from the Union, leaving slavery untouched in the loyal Border States. It also expressly exempted parts of the Confederacy that had already come under Northern control. Most important, the freedom it promised depended upon Union military victory. Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery in the nation, it captured the hearts and imagination of millions of Americans and fundamentally transformed the character of the war. After January 1, 1863, every advance of federal troops expanded the domain of freedom. Moreover, the...

Words: 705 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Reconstruction

...The essay below was a very strong essay answering the question about Reconstruction. It was an actual essay (word for word) written by one of the students in class. It received 28.5 points out of 30. This was a great essay; about the only comment I would write was that the thesis in the introduction could have been a little more direct: As a country, America has gone though many political changes throughout her lifetime. Leaders have come and gone, all of them having different objectives and plans for the future. As history takes its course, though, most all of these “revolutionary movements” come to an end. One such movement was Reconstruction. Reconstruction was a time period in America consisting of many leaders, goals and accomplishments. Though, like all things in life, it did come to an end, the resulting outcome has been labeled both a success and a failure. When Reconstruction began in 1865, a broken America had just finished fighting the Civil War. In all respects, Reconstruction was mainly just that. It was a time period of “putting back the pieces”, as people say. It was the point where America attempted to become a full running country once more. This, though, was not an easy task. The memory of massive death was still in the front of everyone’s mind, hardening into resentment and sometimes even hatred. The south was virtually non-existent politically or economically, and searching desperately for a way back in. Along with these things, now living...

Words: 1268 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Civil War Era

...Abstract In this essay you will learn about the civil war, reconstruction, the progressive era, the great depression, and the civil rights era. Also the American Anti-Slavery and Civil rights Timeline, 1854-1896 during the civil war era. Identify and describe two examples of the U.S. Authority Expansion between the beginning of the U.S. Civil War and the end of the Civil War Era? (1) The twelve years following the Civil War carried consequences for the nation’s future. Reconstruction helped set the pattern for future race relations and defined the federal government’s role in promoting equality. This section describes President Lincoln’s and Johnson’s plan to readmit the confederate states to the Union as well as the more stringent Congressional plan; it also describes the power struggle between President Andrew Johnson and congress, including the vote over the president’s impeachment. This section also identifies the groups that ruled the southern state governments from 1866-1877 and explains why Reconstruction ended in 1877. (2) Immediately following the war, all-white Southern legislatures passed black code which denied blacks the right purchase or rent land. These efforts to force former slaves to work on plantations led Congressional Republicans to seize control of Reconstruction from President Andrew Johnson, deny representatives from the former Confederate states their Congressional seats, and pass the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and draft...

Words: 857 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

American Dream

...THE AMERICAN DREAM THE AMERICAN DREAM Section #1 a. The impact cultures in North America have on the United States is that each region adapted the traditions and/or beliefs of those who settled in that area by maintaining dance, music, and crafts. Many English settlers did not respect the Native American cultures, and were seen as uncivilized and/or savages. Basically there was a clash of cultures, with new ideas pushing away old ways and mayor cultures oppressing others. b. Immigration and migration shape the early United States, for example: The first person to be processed at Ellis Island was Annie Moore who arrived from Ireland on January 1, 1892. As the first immigrant Annie Moore was given a $10 gold piece. She soon was married and gave birth to eleven children. While Annie Moore was the first immigrant, she was definitely not alone. Some famous immigrants who arrived through Ellis Island included Charles Chaplin, Cary Grant, Harry Houdini, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is easy to see from this list how immigrants have changed the face of the United States. All of these famous people contributed to the United States, giving a bright future for innovative contributions to the young nation. c. The most important change in the United States ‘ involvement in foreign affairs from 1789 to 1877 was expansion of its territory. Marked by a treaty with France buying Louisiana territory doubling the United States, and other treaties...

Words: 3352 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Apex

...Print 2.5.3 Test (TS): Post Civil War America Test U.S. History since the Civil War Sem 1 (S3164613) Zachary Snyder Points possible: 60 Date: ____________ Big Question: What were the social and political consequences of the Civil War? What factors led to the expansion of the United States during the period after the Civil War, and what were the effects of expansion? Section 1: Short Answer Questions (30 points) Write multi-sentence responses for the prompts below. Be specific and give examples from the history we have learned. A. An amendment to the U.S. Constitution changes laws for the entire country. Three amendments changed laws especially for African Americans. Explain how each of the following amendments changed the law for African Americans. (10 points total) a. Thirteenth Amendment (3 points) b. Fourteenth Amendment (4 points) c. Fifteenth Amendment (3 points) B. Answer the following questions:(10 points) a. What challenges did the United States face in redefining the Union after the war? (1 pt). Briefly tell what these events were and analyze their importance in the Reconstruction era:(3 pts each) b.The assassination of Lincoln – c.The rise of the Ku Klux Klan – d.The impeachment...

Words: 364 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

American History Turning Points

...Major Historical Turning Points of America: Essay I Brian Tui Strayer University Dr. Donna Reeves History 105 January 19, 2013 Abstract What are the major turning points in American’s timeline that helped shaped it into the amazing country that it is today? What was the impact of those turning points on today’s American culture? This essay will give us a tour through two major turn points in America. The first being the “Turning point of the civil war” and the second being the “Turning point of Industrialization and Urbanization”. In the “Turning point of the civil war” we will peer into several possible outcomes of the “Reconstruction Period had Abraham Lincoln survived”. In the “Turning point of Industrialization and urbanization we will also investigate “Industrializations effect on the average working American” and touch on “How state courts served to discriminate against non-white citizens and immigrants”. Finally we will conclude with “The New America”. My view on how the events of the past shaped America into the wonderful nation I am so proud of today. Turning Point of the Civil War America could not be the honored country that it is today had it not been for the turning point of the civil war. In the mid-1800s the Northern and Southern states were divided on many differences. A major difference that lingered after the signing of the Constitution was slavery. You have the Northern statesmen who firmly oppose slavery and the Southern statesmen...

Words: 1206 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Reconstruction

...Reconstruction Essay By the time that the civil war came to an end the South was in shambles in just about every area imaginable. Many things were destroyed in the South, entire cities, farms and plantations were destroyed and left the South in much need of being rebuilt. The economy of the South was also very bad, inflation became such an issue that very simple items began to cost hundreds of dollars each and as a result many people died of starvation and couldn’t afford essential items. Taking all of this into account, by 1865 Washington had a pretty daunting task of rebuilding the South. Right after major victories in Gettysburg and Vicksburg in 1863 President Lincoln began putting his plan into action to reunify the North and the South. Lincoln was under belief that the South had never legally seceded from the Union so as a first act to get reconstruction under way he announced the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction in 1863. Lincoln created another plan to move reconstruction forward and this was the Ten Percent Plan. The Ten Percent Plan specified that a Southern state could be readmitted to the Union after ten percent of its voters swore an oath of allegiance to the Union. This plan effectively and efficiently ended the war quickly although radical republicans clamored for a higher percentage of people to swear an oath to the Union. It was definitely a plan that enticed the South to surrender quickly. Similar to Lincoln, President Johnson wanted to get Reconstruction...

Words: 931 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Birth of a Nation

...The African Americans: The Birth of Equality after 1865 Leonard Stinson HIS204: American History Since 1865 Instructor John Durr December 5th, 2011 The African Americans: The Birth of Equality after 1865 This was a time when America was trying to find herself. These were the years known as the Reconstruction Period from 1865-1877. During this time period, the African-American people became free from slavery but one can only imagine what free really is. While the nation search for ways to establish true meaning of equality, African-American people continued to struggle to find out just what equality means and to have the same rights and freedom as the white people in the nation. Whether as slaves or free people, the political and social status of African Americans has always been to obtain the ability to participate in the nation’s economy. While many historians believe that slavery and politics can be attributed to the Civil War, more than 600,000 Americans died and with the help of the Emancipation Proclamation to start the motion to free the slaves, America became even more a divided country in 1865 than the previous earlier years (Bowles, 2011). Although freedom in the post-Civil War years did not guarantee equality, African Americans continued to struggle from racism, segregation and discrimination for many years, but the birth of equality is beginning to grow and show that all men and women are created equal. The effort to integrate...

Words: 3595 - Pages: 15