Reconstruction was a period which took place after the Civil War between 1865-1877, and it was a process by which former states of the Confederacy were “reconstructed” into the United States. When Reconstruction began in 1865, America had just finished fighting the Civil War. Reconstruction was a time for revision in the country as many things were being changed. It was an era when America tried to become a fully constructive country once again. This was not easy as America was still getting over the massive deaths which created resentment and hatred in the minds of many people. Along with these issues, there was a new part of the population, which were four million former slaves, who did not know how to earn money for themselves and for the future of their families. Reconstruction was also a controversial period as the Blacks were not receiving the rights that they were promised due to which the Southerners were against Republicans, also the president, and the Congress did not agree on the same plan for Reconstruction. Reconstruction was a time in which America consisted of many leaders, goals, and accomplishments. Reconstruction did come to an end, but its outcome was distinguished as a failure, and as a success.
During the Civil War and Reconstruction era, the northerners were known as the carpetbaggers who were viewed as opportunists in the South. Also, the Southerners were known as scalawags who saw an advantage in backing the policies of Reconstruction. Reconstruction in the South was a period of readjustment. The Southern Whites wanted to keep Black Americans under some conditions, which included the rejection of social equality and the extension of certain civil rights. Black Americans wanted full freedom and their own land. Which led to frequent clashes in between the two groups. Some of those clashes led into riots, and others led into terrorism against Black Americans.
As union soldiers had occupied many of the large areas in the South, Abraham Lincoln started planning for Reconstruction during the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln first helped the slaves to be free with the emancipation proclamation. Abraham Lincoln had wanted to reunite the nation as soon as he could, for which he offered a Reconstruction plan in December 1863, which was called the Ten Percent Plan. “The lenient Ten percent Plan first required 10% of seceded state voters take oath of loyalty to Union. Second to create a new state government and third to adopt a new constitution abolishing slavery” (American-historma.org). The Ten Percent plan basically wanted ten percent of the male to take oath that they will reestablish the state government. While Lincoln’s plan required only ten percent of allegiance from past confederates, the Congress wanted the majority of white men in Confederate states to take oath of allegiance. This plan was accepted in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Reconstruction also included Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation which freed slaves in the states which were at war with the Union.
After Lincoln’s Ten percent plan, the Congress decided to make their own plan. On July 4th, 1864 the Congress shared their plan which was called the Congressional Plan. This plan required majority of 1860 voters to swear loyalty oath to the union. The plan also asked new state constitutions to abolish slavery, military governors in five districts, repudiation of state debts, and ex-confederates were unable to vote. The Congress then passed this Reconstruction act. This plan created five districts, and each of those districts had military general. District number one which consisted Virginia was controlled by General Shchofield. District 2 consisted North Carolina and Tennessee, which was controlled by General Sickles. District 3 consisted South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, and it was controlled by General Pope. District 4 consisted Arizona and Mississippi which were controlled by General Ord. Lastly, district 5 consisted Texas, and it was controlled by General Sheriden. The Civil war ended on April 9th, 1865, and a week after Abraham Lincoln and his wife had been assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, when they went to watch a play at the theater.
The congress also passed three amendments in favor of the Black Americans. The first amendment in favor of black Americans was passed On December 18th, 1865. In this amendment the Congress abolished slavery by ratifying the thirteenth amendment. Slaves needed freedom, and equality to whites, in order to establish themselves in the Southern society. Even after the thirteenth amendment was passed, many whites still had blacks in captive as their slaves in the south, and everywhere else including the North, blacks were free.
The second amendment which was passed was the fourteenth amendment, which granted citizenship to everyone who was born or naturalized in the United States. The Fourteenth Amendment also granted more representation to Southern states in the House of Representatives. The fourteenth amendment also granted legal standing in court for African Americans. This amendment also granted citizenship to former slaves who had recently been freed after the Civil War.
The third amendment which was passed by the congress was the fifteenth amendment, which gave the African American men a right to vote. The fifteenth amendment in a way allowed the black Americans to voice their opinions in the society by voting. According to loc.gov, this amendment basically obligated that no vote could be denied on the basis of the voter’s race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
The Congress had also established the Freedman’s Bureau on March 3, 1865 to help former Black slaves and poor whites in the South after the Civil War. “Southerner whites resented this intuition, and their resentment reached sympathetic politicians in Washington, DC” (Of The People). The Freedman’s Bureau provided food, housing, and medical aid. It also offered legal assistance and established schools. According to history.com, the Freedmen’s Bureau was known as the U.S Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. The bureau was finally shut in 1872, after pressure from white Southerners.
After Lincoln’s assassination, Andrew Johnson, Lincoln’s vice president, continued Lincoln’s presidency. “Born in a log cabin and too poor to attend school, he began his career on a tailor’s bench where he had shown grit and enterprise” (Of The People). Johnsons’ presidency made both house of the congress happy as they had been opposed to Lincoln’s moderate Reconstruction plan, and they wanted the ideal plan to provide universal male suffrage. In May 1865, Johnson announced his new plan of Reconstruction, which recognized Lincoln’s Ten Percent plan, asked for military governors in the seven Southern states that remained, loyalty oath for former confederates, new states constitutions to ratify the thirteenth amendment, made Southerners who spent more than 20,000 dollars in 1861 apply for pardon, and lastly declare that one-third of black property owners shall be allowed in South, if the southerners agree. Which the southerners would actually never do, and this made Johnson less favorable to the black people.
After the abolishment of slavery, Black Codes were adopted by many Southern states. “Under the administration of President Andrew Johnson in 1865 and 1866, new southern state legislatures passed restrictive “black codes” to control the labor and behavior of former slaves and other African Americans” (history.com). Black codes were rules that imposed and controlled the old social structure, and the old social status which was given to the Blacks. Blacks were not allowed to vote, serve jury, carry weapon, interracially marry or appear in public place. The black codes also restricted the freedom of freedmen because even though they were free they were still deprived from rights that white Americans had. They also weren't allowed to have public meetings or even attend them. During Reconstruction the black Americans faced lynching and the Ku Klux Klan.
Lynching was basically killing people especially by hanging them. In fact ew nativist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan were also created to trouble the black Americans. “Founded in 1866, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) extended into almost every southern state by 1870 and became a vehicle for white southern resistance to the Republican Party’s Reconstruction-era policies aimed at establishing political and economic equality for blacks” (history.com). The members of the Ku Klux Klan used violence and terror to discriminate Black Americans. According to history.com, the Ku Klux Klan selected crimes executed by individual, which included not only federal offenses, but also protection of laws, and the right to hold office and serve on juries. The people of the Ku Klux Klan also wore masks and robes to act as ghosts of confederate soldiers. The KKK also scared black Americans by burning churches, and homes of black Americans, as they were scared of new changes and rising rights that were being given to African Americans.
During the Reconstruction, the Black Americans also faced the Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow system was enforced by the government, and it promoted racial segregation between black and white Americans. One of the laws created in Birmingham, Alabama stated “It shall be unlawful for a negro and white person to play together or in company with each other in any game of cards or dice, dominoes or checkers.”
Due to president Johnson’s Reconstruction plan, blacks were segregated. Which meant that they had separate bathrooms, water fountains, school, and etc. Southerners also passed laws to disable the rights of the emancipated former slaves. This means that the poor slaves were deprived of their rights on themselves and on their properties. It also means that the Southerners saw these slaves as nothing but someone who was bound to be their servant, because the Blacks were not getting there rights in spite of the abolishment of slavery. The president and congress did not agree on many of the issues such as the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Freedmen’s Bureau Bill. These were all bills that Johnson wanted to pass, but the congress overrode them.
Johnson was already committing many mistakes in his presidency as he was being racist, and he also wasn’t willing to support the congress’ plan. “To Republican’s amazement, Johnson vetoed both bills and in term that made no compromise possible” (Of The People). Yet again he committed another mistake as he kept a meeting with Grant, and tells him that once he fires Stanton, he will make Grant his secretary. “He issued broader amnesty proclamations for former Confederates, forced the dismissal of Republican officers ,and, abiding by the Tenure of Office Act, suspended Stanton in August 1867” (Of The People).
Somehow the Congress become aware of their meeting, and made Grant step out by giving him the incentive of being the next President. Johnson was then impeached as he did not let have the leader like qualities, he committed a misdemeanor and he also refused to be the Congress’s puppet. Johnson had eleven charges, and ten of those charges were removed by Salmon P. Chase. Chase was Lincoln’s trusted cabinet member, and Lincoln had promised him to make him the Chief Justice which he did.
After Johnson’s impeachment, General Ulysses Grant became the president, and served for two terms, which were completely corrupt. According to history.com, Grant was first a brigadier general, who was appointed by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. As a brigadier general, Grant had become successful in many states such as Tennessee, and Mississippi. In fact, General Grant was the one who led many campaigns to end the deadly Civil War. According to history.com He was successful in his attempts, due to which on April 9, 1865, General Robert Lee surrendered to him in Virginia to end the Civil War. During his presidency, General Grant did try to peacefully reconcile the North and the South, but he was unsuccessful. “He also tried, with limited success, to improve conditions for Native Americans. Grant’s administration made strides in foreign policy by negotiating the 1871 Treaty of Washington, which settled U.S. claims against England stemming from the activities of British-built Confederate warships that disrupted Northern shipping during the Civil War” (history.com).
Grant made many attempts to bring improvise the country and improve the situation of the country, but all of his attempts failed. Since majority of General Grant’s presidential votes were from black Americans grant supported them in getting their rights. “He supported pardons for former Confederate leaders while also attempting to protect the civil rights of freed slaves” (history.com). Even during Grant’s presidency, the Ku Klux Klan used scare tactic against African Americans. This made General Grant realize Ku Klux Klan’s hatred towards African Americans, and he forced the Klan to stop showing hatred against his African American Voters. In spite of fighting for the freedom of black Americans, Grant was criticized for not doing enough for the protection of freedmen.
After General Ulysses Grant, Rutherford Hayes was the new President of America. Hayes was declared an winner by both Democrats and Republicans after there a close race between him and the Democratic representative who was Samuel Tilden. The Democrats agreed that they would not block Hayes victory on only one condition, which was that the Republicans needed to withdraw federal troops from the South, which meant that the Democratic would control the Southern Region. Hayes agreed to their offer, and thus this became the Compromise of 1877, and it also ended the Reconstruction period, but it made African Americans perceive this as a betrayal since the troops were the only way of protection and support that the African Americans had in the South.
The Civil War and Reconstruction contributed to many changes in United States during the Reconstruction Era. However, the main goal of Reconstruction, which was equal rights for the Black Americans was not fully accomplished as they were only given freedom. The Reconstruction era also gave African Americans the right to be educated, the benefits of hospitals, and they were allowed to be involved in the legal. All these rights and benefits were given as new constitutions were created in the southern states with the resentment of both black and white citizens. However many rights that were given to African Americans during the Reconstruction, were snatched from them. The Reconstruction period had also completed the abolishment of outdated production, industrialization of the whole country, and new opportunities for the citizen of America.
I personally think that Reconstruction was a draw as it was not successful. In my opinion, Reconstruction was not a fully successful procedure, but it was at least a step in the right direction. The laws which were set up by the government were not strictly followed by the citizen of America, but those laws were created to protect the rights of African American citizens. Reconstruction did bring a new hope for black Americans, but their hopes were not fulfilled. Also, without Reconstruction, other groups could have never fought racism, and they also could never make space for themselves in United States. Reconstruction was a success, but only partially.