Preview

“The World Turned Upside Down: Reconstruction in Texas”

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3360 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
“The World Turned Upside Down: Reconstruction in Texas”
“The World Turned Upside Down: Reconstruction in Texas”

1. Introduction: The Myth vs. the Reality of Reconstruction
2. Wartime Reconstruction
3. Postwar Reconstruction
4. Congressional Reconstruction
5. Undoing Reconstruction
6. Enduring Impacts of Reconstruction in Texas
_______________________________________________________________________
The Myth vs. the Reality of Reconstruction
The Myth:
At the end of the Civil War, in which Southerners had fought valiantly against the brutal invasion forces of the North in an effort to protect local institutions and states rights, the South lay broken and destitute. Rather than trying to reunite the country as peacefully and quickly as possible, the victorious North set out on a deliberate policy of rape, pillage, plunder, and vindictive punishment.
The South was invaded and controlled during Reconstruction by vengeful Union soldiers, opportunistic carpetbaggers, and treasonous scalawags. The Yankee carpetbaggers were opportunists who came to the South to get rich in the aftermath of conquest through theft of money, land, property, etc. Their allies were the treasonous scalawags - Southerners who had always favored the Union, had opposed secession, and in some cases had even taken up arms against their countrymen during the Civil War. These traitors were now placed by military force into political power in the South.
These forces - the Union army of occupation, the carpetbaggers, the scalawags, and the ex-slaves they easily manipulated - subjected Southerners to unethical, unprincipled, and inhumane punishment during Reconstruction. Representative Southern leaders were displaced by Negro politicians and Yankee Republicans. They stood the South on its head - freeing slaves, ruining the economy, raising taxes, and using military force to savagely perpetuate their control. The effects were to last for decades, making the South a subjugated colony of the North - no longer the equal it had been.
The Reality:

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Reconstruction was the period during which the United States began to rebuild after the Civil War, lasting from 1865 to 1877. It was to repair the North and the South politically, economically and socially. After the Civil War, the South’s economy was completely ruined and needed help from the Union government; which they were trying to stay way from. The Reconstruction can be evaluated both as a success and a failure. Its successes were the restoration of the eleven confederate states back to the union, giving African-Americans (ex-slaves) their freedom and rights and providing aid to the freed slaves and poor whites. Its failures were the Anti-African Americans groups such as the KKK, the Black Codes, not protecting the rights of the freedmen and the southern corruption. Although African-Americans were freed and gained their rights because of 13th, 14th and 15th amendments, and the ex-eleven confederate states came back to the union, the Reconstruction was more of a failure than a success.…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Redemption: Last Battle of the Civil War by Nicholas Lemann a new idea called reconstruction is starting to arise in the nation. The book itself sets up the reader to picture one of the bloodiest wars of all time. The main idea of the book is how Reconstruction failed because of hostile and rude schemes by the Democratic Party and white southerners during elections. The main reason for reconstruction was to put union backs together and free the slaves for once and for all, the ideas were doomed soon as they were looked upon due to the. Southern Democrats were poised to win with little to no interference at the ballot box both locally and eventually, at the national…

    • 121 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Reconstruction of the South after the Civil War was viewed by the victorious Northerners as…

    • 3988 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    After the Civil War, the southern soldiers were going back to devastated cities, destroyed railroads, and many cities were burned to the ground as a result of Sherman’s march from sea to sea. After the Civil War occurred, the slaves were given freedom from their owners, and slavery was banned. That attempt at reconstruction was not a complete fail, but it took a little bit of time for America to give social and economic equality to slaves. There were many attempts made by several different presidents, but not all seemed to work due to the South’s stubbornness. The failure of reconstruction later did not bring social and economic equality to former slaves in the south because of things like the Jim Crow laws and the South’s strong disproval of the outcome of the war.…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The carpetbag governments were a hindrance for the South because, although some of the carpetbaggers came there to actually help the southerners, the majority of them were only interested in personal gain and power. It was easy for the carpetbaggers to come into the South and take control because the former leaders of the South could no longer hold office or vote. Also, there was many former slaves in the legislatures and although some were educated, most weren't and the carpetbaggers used that to their advandage by helping the African-Americans spend money unwisely, creating large state…

    • 97 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The South resisted all attempts at Reconstruction at every turn in an attempt to keep slavery and undermine African American social, political and economic opportunities. Reconstruction (1865-1877) is the time in which former confederate states were re-entered into the Union. During this time, the South was divided into military districts, and occupied by Union soldiers. It was a period in which opportunities for former slaves were expanded, as well as a period of unrest and resistance from the South against these changes. Although it is unclear who truly put an end to Reconstruction, it is evident that the South did all it could to resist it and the changes it brought.…

    • 312 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Southern resistance stoppe a lot of progress from happening, people would threaten other people to vote Democratic instead or Radical. For most people a gun pressed to their temple while somebody told them to vote for Democrats or they would be killed is a great reason to vote that way. The KKK was a big problem in the South as well, they would beat people until the followed their will. The KKK hated the Radicals and did everything in their power to try to destroy them. Northern neglect was the main reason for the death of Reconstruction.…

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After the Civil War, the South was in a state of ruin. Not only did they owe two billion dollars, but during the war the Union had engaged in Total War. This meant towns, cities, rural areas, and entire communities were destroyed or severely damaged. Since the South’s economy was based off of agriculture, they had a very tough time recovering. The North’s economy was also damaged, but since they were more business based, it was easier to recover.…

    • 650 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After the Civil War the leaders of our fragmented nation were forced to face a daunting task. Government officials who did not have any constitutional guidelines on readmission had to pick of the pieces of a divided country and develop a plan that would bring states back into the Union. Furthermore, new economic and social policy was needed to accommodate freedmen. Reconstruction was a failed approach to reunite the Union because of weak policy and the inability of executives to develop a nonpartisan plan that would ease tension with the Southern states.…

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During Reconstruction the south was very displeased that the norther people were coming in to their terrirtory to help the blacks. Sotherners believed that the blacks did not deserve to be free, so they ended the Reconstruction with violence. The south was responsible for the end of Reconstruction due to the creation of the KKK, the hate towards blacks, and giving blacks limited rights. The creation of the KKK was one of…

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Yale Professor Roland Osterweis summarized the cause of the “Lost Cause”. “The Legend of the Lost Cause began as mostly a literary expression of the despair of a bitter, defeated people over a lost identity. It was a landscape dotted with figures drawn mainly out of the past… [it] quickly enveloped in a golden haze, became very real to the people of the South, who found the symbols useful in the reconstituting of their shattered civilization. They perpetuated the ideals of the Old South and brought a sense of comfort to the New.” This however faced some challenges, the Northern carpetbaggers traveled to the South to educate blacks and make money, which threatened the Southerners who feared change in the…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Civil War was fought to ensure the freedom and equality for all citizens. After the Civil War had come to an end our nation had approximately four million newly freed slaves. The Union was faced with the challenges of protecting the new freedmen's rights of citizenship. This turbulent era in American History was Called Reconstruction. The Southern states were not pleased with the changes being made to make African Americans and The white citizens equal.…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Civil War managed to divide the United States into two sections incapable of negotiating a way to effectively work together. When the war ended in 1864, with the Union taking the victory, it left America in ruins and from there America started the reconstruction process in an effort to restore the glory that once was. Although Reconstruction had the complete intentions of creating an even better America than before, it unfortunately regressed because of things such as Black Codes, the inauguration of Andrew Johnson, and the formation of hate groups such as the KKK. It is with these examples that make the statement, “While the north won the war, the south won reconstruction”, ring true.…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Compare and contrasts Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction, the Wade –Davis Bill, Johnson’s plan, and Radical Reconstruction. Evaluate the successes and failures of Reconstruction.…

    • 1672 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Across the South, the implementation of Reconstruction policies was achieved in multiple ways. While not always a success, Reconstruction had a definitive impact on the social, cultural economic and financial issues in states throughout the South. It is not clear whether or not Reconstruction was more beneficial to the country or harmful, but it is true, without a doubt, that it had an enormous impact on the Southern states. Both Gilles Vandal and Horace Bond in their articles discuss the impact that Reconstruction had on the southern states of Louisiana and Alabama, respectively. Both authors view Reconstruction through the same lenses of social and economic impact, but they approach the issues from different directions. It is important…

    • 1086 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays