Period Of Reconstruction

The period of Reconstruction, lasting from 1865-1876, consisted of the years after the Civil War during which Americans made efforts to rebuild their chaotic nation. African Americans were arguably affected by this period the most because it was a small step in the right direction towards securing political and economic rights for former slaves. However, the slight improvement of daily life for African Americans didn’t result in much change. Although the North was somewhat successful economically during this time period, the South remained a rural dominated society in which there was a heavy gap between social classes. In the South, the 14th and 15th amendments remained an unfulfilled promise in the South as African Americans continued lives
of oppression. As Thomas Jefferson wrote in the 1776 Declaration of Independence: “that all men are created equal,” the end of Reconstruction, exactly one century after the publication of the Declaration of Independence, proved that the United States wasn’t a successful country because it didn’t promise all groups (African Americans, Native Americans, etc.) equal opportunity. The Declaration of Independence didn’t contain a part about freeing African-American slaves because of their contributions to the American economy.
The dependence of free labor is why Jefferson was told to omit his passage about the enslaved people. While this predicament led to the Civil War which led to Reconstruction, Jefferson was the one who took the first real steps in the independence of all people seen today. During the early stages of Reconstruction, African Americans played a role in Southern politics and economy. In 1866, the passing of the Civil Rights Act declared blacks to be viewed as equal citizens as a result of the federal government wanting to disrupt state affairs to protect the rights of all citizens. After the fourteenth amendment named all domestically born people citizens, the South became infuriated. This initial positive time for African Americans in the beginning of Reconstruction quickly came to a close as a result of land disputes. At first, the Freedmen's Bureau allowed for African Americans to settle on abandoned lands and be complete owners of the land. However, southern plantations returned to their land causing blacks to work for these owners. This lead to the agricultural technique known as sharecropping. Although African Americans were technically independent, they constantly dug themselves deeper holes of debt due to the corrupt system. One side of the country, the North, tried to fulfill the words of Jefferson in hopes of racial
equality; however, the other side of the country, the South, believed that this necessary evil dictated their economic success even a century after the declaration of independence. In 1869, Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln’s former general, became president of the country. When he left office in 1876, the end of Reconstruction was already over as the country just waited for South Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida to give up their governments so Grant could withdraw the federal troops. After the 15th amendment was ratified, the right to vote applied to all citizens regardless of color and race, Northern reformers felt that blacks were now officially free and that they can take care of themselves. At this point, Republicans in the South were in deep trouble as members of their own political group were changing their stance on slavery. Arguably one of the most controversial elections took place in 1876 between republican Rutherford B. hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden. However, the result of this election affected both parties and regions. The Democrats agreed that Hayes would be the new elect if it allowed for the withdrawal of federal troops in the South. The withdrawal of troops was the official end of the Reconstruction Era. With the Compromise of 1877, the Republican Party ended their support for African American rights in the South. As a result, after this whole chaotic jumble, there was still a huge gap between whites and blacks in the south. There were only a few African Americans who continued to have political influence and vote. The United States of America proved to be a country that couldn’t back up Jefferson’s promise in the Declaration of Independence.
In a country where it is impossible to satisfy all groups of people, the United State fell victim to just this. The Compromise of 1877 resulted in the withdrawal of troops that served to guarantee the right of African American suffrage. Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the U.S and architect of the Declaration of Independence, planted the seed for African American freedom; however, their freedom still wasn’t possible at the end of Reconstruction. Thus, the end of Reconstruction, 100 years after the publication of the Declaration of Independence, marked a time in which African-Americans were still inferior to
whites.