Essays
America’s Post Civil War Growing Pains
J. Jones-Herbert
Contemporary U.S. History105
1. Identify two major historical turning points in the period under discussion.
There were two major historical turning points during this period; Reconstruction and the Industrial Revolution. With the end of the Civil War in 1865 came the Reconstruction Era which lasted until 1877. During this time the federal government attempted to resolve the issues that resulted from the ending of the Civil War. Although physical rebuilding of the region began quickly and rapidly progressed, reconstructing southern society proved to be a much more difficult process. The two major concerns were from the political stand point on how to integrate rebel states back into the nation and from the social stand point on how to integrate 4 million newly freed slaves back into society.
In 1863 as an attempt to bring the South back into the nation, Lincoln issued his Ten-Percent Plan, which offered amnesty to any southerner who proclaimed loyalty to the Union and support of the emancipation of slaves; once 10 percent of a state’s voters in the election of 1860 signed the oath, it could create a new state government and reenter the Union. (Shultz, 2012) After Lincolns Assassination, Andrew Johnson became president, during his time in office he granted amnesty and pardoned more than 13,000 Confederates that took part in the rebellion. By his actions in office President Johnson showed no concern for the future of black people in America. (Shultz, 2012) Most of the new southern state governments returned confederate leaders to political power that then created a set of laws called black codes that were modeled along the lines of the slave codes that existed before the Civil War. These new laws completely separated black Americans from white Americans and lasted for at least a century. Although Reconstruction of the South did have some significant achievements, including two new constitutional
J. Jones-Herbert
Contemporary U.S. History105
1. Identify two major historical turning points in the period under discussion.
There were two major historical turning points during this period; Reconstruction and the Industrial Revolution. With the end of the Civil War in 1865 came the Reconstruction Era which lasted until 1877. During this time the federal government attempted to resolve the issues that resulted from the ending of the Civil War. Although physical rebuilding of the region began quickly and rapidly progressed, reconstructing southern society proved to be a much more difficult process. The two major concerns were from the political stand point on how to integrate rebel states back into the nation and from the social stand point on how to integrate 4 million newly freed slaves back into society.
In 1863 as an attempt to bring the South back into the nation, Lincoln issued his Ten-Percent Plan, which offered amnesty to any southerner who proclaimed loyalty to the Union and support of the emancipation of slaves; once 10 percent of a state’s voters in the election of 1860 signed the oath, it could create a new state government and reenter the Union. (Shultz, 2012) After Lincolns Assassination, Andrew Johnson became president, during his time in office he granted amnesty and pardoned more than 13,000 Confederates that took part in the rebellion. By his actions in office President Johnson showed no concern for the future of black people in America. (Shultz, 2012) Most of the new southern state governments returned confederate leaders to political power that then created a set of laws called black codes that were modeled along the lines of the slave codes that existed before the Civil War. These new laws completely separated black Americans from white Americans and lasted for at least a century. Although Reconstruction of the South did have some significant achievements, including two new constitutional
References: Schultz, K. M. (2012). HIST: Volume II. (2nd Ed .Pgs. 275-322). (Custom) Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Andryszewski, T. Chapter 1: Segregation and Discrimination Against Blacks in the South. The Millbrook Press, 1996. African Americans. (2013). In Encyclopedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com.libdatab.strayer.edu/EBchecked/topic/67474/African-American