Examine the reasons for the Northern retreated from Reconstruction
Reconstruction was eroded and defeated by racism that was embedded within the hearts of Northerners.
Tonya Kerr
The University of the West Indies
Professor Henderson Carter
HIST 3202: Slavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction, 1820-1877 Examine the reasons for the Northern retreat from Reconstruction
November 17th, 2014
After the American Civil War of 1861-18651 which started because of uncompromising disputes between the North who was for, and the South who was against the power of the national government to outlaw the enslavement of blacks in the slave holding territories that had not yet become states,2 the Confederate States’ destiny remained uncertain since the tedious battle was won by the North.3 In an attempt to rebuild the states into a united front and to administer equal rights and justice for all, Congress developed plans to readmit the rebellious and racist Southern States and provide the new status of an enormous number of “African Americans,” no longer slaves, throughout the United States of America (USA) with full citizenship that was equal to whites. This comprehensive plan to bring the Union physically and politically back together became known as Reconstruction. Although the nation was able to reunite politically and economically, by no doubt, it could not unite socially because prejudice against African Americans by the Anglo-Saxon community was held to preserve its’ social, political and economic pyramid with whites at the top of the ladder and blacks at the bottom. From since the inception of the 13 colonies as a united front, the thought of blacks as lower class was imbedded within the heart of all walks of life in the North and South.
The actions taken by the government to re-admit the former Confederate States and allow for the re-building of its economy and society by no doubt maybe deemed as an inevitable failure. It failed due to a deep seated racism that permeated American life through different mechanisms and devices
Tonya Kerr
The University of the West Indies
Professor Henderson Carter
HIST 3202: Slavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction, 1820-1877 Examine the reasons for the Northern retreat from Reconstruction
November 17th, 2014
After the American Civil War of 1861-18651 which started because of uncompromising disputes between the North who was for, and the South who was against the power of the national government to outlaw the enslavement of blacks in the slave holding territories that had not yet become states,2 the Confederate States’ destiny remained uncertain since the tedious battle was won by the North.3 In an attempt to rebuild the states into a united front and to administer equal rights and justice for all, Congress developed plans to readmit the rebellious and racist Southern States and provide the new status of an enormous number of “African Americans,” no longer slaves, throughout the United States of America (USA) with full citizenship that was equal to whites. This comprehensive plan to bring the Union physically and politically back together became known as Reconstruction. Although the nation was able to reunite politically and economically, by no doubt, it could not unite socially because prejudice against African Americans by the Anglo-Saxon community was held to preserve its’ social, political and economic pyramid with whites at the top of the ladder and blacks at the bottom. From since the inception of the 13 colonies as a united front, the thought of blacks as lower class was imbedded within the heart of all walks of life in the North and South.
The actions taken by the government to re-admit the former Confederate States and allow for the re-building of its economy and society by no doubt maybe deemed as an inevitable failure. It failed due to a deep seated racism that permeated American life through different mechanisms and devices
Cited: Barney, William. A Companion of 19th Century America. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Inc. 2001. Print. Dailey, Jane. Before Jim Crow: The Politics of Race in Post-emancipation. Virginia: University of North Carolina Press. 2000. Print. Davidson, James. Nation of Nations: A Narrative History of the American Republic. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc. 1994. Print. "Disputed Elections of 1876." The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center. Accessed November 5, 2014. http://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/president/display.asp?id=511&subj=president. Web. Gillette, Williams, Retreat from Reconstruction 1869-1879. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. 1979. Print. Harrell, David Edwin. Unto a Good Land: A History of the American People. Cambridge: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2005. Print. McPherson, James. "A Brief Overview of the American Civil War: A Defining Time in Our Nation 's History." Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed November 5, 2014. Web. Jones, Maldwyn. The Limits of Liberty: American History 1607-1992. New York: Oxford University Press. 1995. Print.