Reconstruction Dbq Essay
The Reconstruction was a success in the terms of the abolishment of slavery; however, beyond 1877, the events that took place during the reconstruction did little to put the racial animosity at rest and did little for mending the hypocrisy of the nation.
The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in 1865, but much of the events that took place during the Reconstruction took place to ensure that no freed slave would ever have to be put under those conditions again. The Radical Republicans fought so that the former slaves would not have to be forced to work under their former slave owners out of fear, lack of independence, or need for a job. The Reconstruction involved the steps that needed to be taken in order to make sure that African Americans …show more content…
The tension, fear, and hatred kept them unequal. The North feared that black people would take their jobs and the South wanted to kept their superiority, free labor, and money. The buildup of these emotions ultimately led to the “black codes”. The purpose of the Black Codes was to ingrain in the minds of the former slaves that they were not free, that they still belong to their former slave owner, that they are not equal, and that whites are superior. The success in the Reconstruction came out of making sure that African Americans did not have to succumb to this type of treatment, which in turn led them to be free, not equal. However this distinguishment between freedom and equality was nonexistent to some, if not most, of the Radical Republicans. Thaddeus Stevens, a Radical Republican, wanted to create a “perfect republic” for all men to be equal and said that, “This is the promise of America, No More. No Less”. Although with good intention, Stevens was ignorant of the hypocrisy of his message and the tone that it sets for America. The idea of a “perfect republic” could have been arguably shattered when the Native Americans were being oppressed and run out of their our land. The government specifically excluded Native Americans from the Fourteenth Amendment and said that women must wait in response to American American men receiving the right to vote because it was the “Negro’s
The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in 1865, but much of the events that took place during the Reconstruction took place to ensure that no freed slave would ever have to be put under those conditions again. The Radical Republicans fought so that the former slaves would not have to be forced to work under their former slave owners out of fear, lack of independence, or need for a job. The Reconstruction involved the steps that needed to be taken in order to make sure that African Americans …show more content…
The tension, fear, and hatred kept them unequal. The North feared that black people would take their jobs and the South wanted to kept their superiority, free labor, and money. The buildup of these emotions ultimately led to the “black codes”. The purpose of the Black Codes was to ingrain in the minds of the former slaves that they were not free, that they still belong to their former slave owner, that they are not equal, and that whites are superior. The success in the Reconstruction came out of making sure that African Americans did not have to succumb to this type of treatment, which in turn led them to be free, not equal. However this distinguishment between freedom and equality was nonexistent to some, if not most, of the Radical Republicans. Thaddeus Stevens, a Radical Republican, wanted to create a “perfect republic” for all men to be equal and said that, “This is the promise of America, No More. No Less”. Although with good intention, Stevens was ignorant of the hypocrisy of his message and the tone that it sets for America. The idea of a “perfect republic” could have been arguably shattered when the Native Americans were being oppressed and run out of their our land. The government specifically excluded Native Americans from the Fourteenth Amendment and said that women must wait in response to American American men receiving the right to vote because it was the “Negro’s