The Unification Goals Of The Post-Civil War

The unification goals of the post-Civil War Reconstruction era simultaneously bolstered the rights of all persons who could be folded into the perceived culture of Americanism while vindicating the absolute removal of rights from those who would not or could not appear to be American. The expansion of sovereignty bolstered American claims to usurp land from other nations all under the guise of integration using similar motifs and tactics that were employed during Reconstruction resonating with different cultures, but altogether symbolizing the complete failure of the intended reparations of Reconstruction repeated with different cultures and geographies.
The Republican authority quickly passed the 13th – 15th amendments along with various
Freed blacks were legally considered citizens quickly and boasted legal equality, many northerners believed this to be fitting and likely considered blacks equal to these stations before the war. The desired consolidation of federal power, the tumultuous environment of the second industrial revolution and the desire for imperial authority brought other groups than recently freed slaves and the defeated south into the question of national unity and Americanism. Native Americans quickly became scrutinized as opponents to the expansion of America and entirely antithetical to American beliefs. American’s predominantly dealt favorably with many of the Plains Indians prior to the Civil War, but following the war and the massive westward expansion that followed caused bloody conflicts to occur between the Plains Indians and settlers, as settlers encroached upon
However, Chinese immigrants faced more disdain than freed slaves through much of the nation. Comparatively blacks were being seen more as unwilling allies in many of the labor and political issues that divided the nation following reconstruction. Many populace and labor movements contained black member possibly because of similar education, religious beliefs, and a cultural identity that was not seen as foreign. Chinese immigrants alternatively faced aggressive anti-Chinese legislation and social hostility in areas that most likely contained unmolested African-Americans. Chinese were not only denied basic citizenship and equal protection under the law, but were also barred from entry into the country. Chinese were seen as a threat similar to “Black Dominance” in the south, or the Indian troubles; they were a group of people who were incapable of assimilation, whose very presence and dissimilarities threatened not only American unity but by proxy its sovereignty. However, it becomes important to note that the growth of the federal government powers that accompanied Reconstruction also bolstered a more uniform application of the law. This led to the begrudging allowance of basic rights to Chinese-Americans. The authority of the federal government is made clear in supreme court cases such