Preview

In what ways and to what extent did constitutional and social developments between 1860 and 1877 amount to a revolution?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
546 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
In what ways and to what extent did constitutional and social developments between 1860 and 1877 amount to a revolution?
During the 1860s and the 1870s, Americans faced a social crisis that literally divided the nation to two. Social developments and constitutional changes that occurred within this time frame amounted to a devastating separation of people. The first major crisis, the Civil War, divided the nation sectionally and what ensued afterward, the Reconstruction, divided the nation completely.

The Civil War lasted four years, from April of 1861 to April of 1865. It physically separated the nation into two, in which the South seceded from the North. The two sides fought for the struggle over slavery - the South was for it, while the North was against it. The South argued that the North was attempting to limit their rights given to them by the Constitution; their rights to exercise those powers were restrained heavily by the politically dominant North. The North at first made a statement stating that the main purpose of the war was to maintain the Union and to keep the South from breaking apart. However, as the war went on, Lincoln found fighting for these terms was impossible; he knew that the slaves had to be freed. This decision to abolish slavery stirred up controversy in the Union, for many white men, while they opposed slavery, did not like the idea that they were fighting for African-Americans. Many riots erupted from many Union states come draft day, clearly showing the unsettlement and dissatisfaction that Americans had with the idea of freeing slaves. The North not only had to deal with the South, but also with themselves.

Following the Civil War, a period of time known as the Reconstruction came into effect. This was the time where the North attempted to rebuild the South and the time for the South to settle their differences and get over bitter feelings of losing the war. However, despite its good intentions, the Reconstruction was generally considered a failure by most historians. The Reconstruction was led by a certain group of Republicans known as the Radicals.

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
  • Good Essays

    In the early spring year in 1861 the Civil War began and lasted four years later until the summer of June 1865. An estimated of 620,000 men had lost their lives. This war was one of the bloodiest wars that occurred in American history. For the union army the purpose of the war was to officially end the act of slavery. However, the Confederate army was fighting to continue to have slaves because not only did they work for free, but they also had an impact on the growth in their economy.…

    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    From the year of Lincoln’s first election, to the end of the Reconstruction Act, America had been through a cultural and political revolution, that changed the entirety of the country's dynamics. After the close of the Civil War in 1865, the Union held a clear stand against the institution of slavery. After President Lincoln was assassinated, his vice president, Andrew Johnson, popularly seemed unfit for the task of reconstruction of the country. Congress, Constitutional amendments, racism, and hateful terror groups would develop the civil rights movement, that would be a national transformation. Between 1860-1877 constitutional and social developments extensively amounted to a revolution, by ways of a public and congressional push for a…

    • 649 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Reconstruction (U.S. history), the process of rebuilding that followed the American Civil War (1861-1865). Since the United States had never before experienced civil war, the end of hostilities left Americans to grapple with a set of pressing questions over what to do with the South after the defeat of the Confederacy and the overthrow of slavery. These questions included:…

    • 3995 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Reconstruction Era followed the American Civil War from about 1865 to 1877. During this time attempts were made to fix the problems that came up from the readmission to the Union of the 11 states that seceded before or during the Civil War, and attempts were made to once again address the injustice of slavery from a political, social and economic aspect. Historians argue that the Reconstruction failed simply because congress was divided politically on the issues stated previously, and also because some of the extraordinary changes made during this era did not last forever.…

    • 125 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    From the time of Lincoln's inauguration in 1860 to the final withdrawal of union troops from the South in 1877, the nation of America had been one of great revolutions. There was constant development in this time both socially and constitutionally. For instance, some constitutional developments that irrupted conflict were the secession of the confederate states, the Emancipation Proclamation, the three civil rights bills, and the reconstruction. Some social developments that caused conflict were the Freedmen's Bureau, the Black Codes, and the Ku Klux Klan. It was a result of these developments that the Revolutions of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Redeemers would take place. The great change these revolutions brought about were vital in the development of this country…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Civil War Dbq Analysis

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Civil War was a hard and long fought war with many battles, deaths, and injuries. In 1861 the Civil War began, but not before a series of events that reached the boiling point of both Northerners and Southerners. Three events that inflamed tensions between the North and South included the Compromise of 1850, the publishment of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” and the election of 1860. The Civil War lasted about 4 years, and that was because the North and South had differing opinions on slavery.…

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Civil War, also known as the War between the States, was a significant event in American history that lasted from 1861 to 1865. It was a conflict between the Northern and Southern states over issues such as states' rights, economic policies, and most notably, slavery. While many factors contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War, slavery was the main cause of this bloody and devastating conflict. Slavery has been a part of American society since the early colonial period. The Southern states, also known as the Confederacy, relied heavily on slave labor for their economy, particularly in the production of cotton.…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Before 1860 the United States was already broken into opposing sides fighting for power. Although these conflicts never became bloodied,…

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Reconstruction was primarily to reunite the country and to construct a southern society not based on slavery. Since many dilemmas were left after the Civil War, the federal government tried to repair them.(Schultz,2014,275) Although the Reconstruction, era had quite the number of accomplishments, in my opinion, I strongly agree it was a grad failure.…

    • 285 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Civil war started in 1861 because of conflict between the North and the South. The Southern states broke away from the United States of America and made the Confederate States of America because they wanted to have slaves and have more freedom. The war lasted for four years between the Union and the Confederacy. Many different people were affected by this war. Some people that were affected include women, children, and African-Americans.…

    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The civil war was fought for many reasons, After Abraham lincoln was elected in 1860 the South feared that he would abolish slavery so the South seceded from the Union.( Civil War Trust 1). The union wanted to stay in tact, (Civil War Trust 1). So the North did not see a legitimate reason for secession. (Civil War Trust 1). The two sides had also been drifting apart because of their cultural and economic differences. ( Guelzo 1 ). The North was advancing industrially and the South was growing agriculturally with their entire economic system relying on agriculture and slaves. ( Civil War 1 ). However the North wanted to abolish slavery because they did not need slaves or agriculture for their economy. Some of these reasons are why one of the…

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Reconstruction was a twelve-year period (1865–1877) of rebuilding that followed the Civil War (1861–1865), a conflict between the United States (the Union; states mostly located in the North) and states in the South (the Confederacy). The Confederacy took stand for their independence while the Union fought for the preservation of their region. Each conflicting side had their set goal in the Civil War. However, after the War and Reconstruction the South emerged to be profoundly different from the antebellum South. The long years of Reconstruction brought only more divisiveness and quarrels. Many political, economic, and social factors impacted all areas of southern life, such as disenfranchisement, agriculture, and segregation.…

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This War lasted a long gruesome 4 years from 1861 to 1865. It finally ended with the agreement that they were going to free the slaves but still some did not. The Civil War changed Americans and their ideas about freedom in quite a few ways, such as some of them believed that everyone was created and made equal, they also knew what they were fighting for and they got to share their ideas.…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Civil War broke out in 1861, and lasted until 1865 .This drastic five year quarrel put the North and South against each other; the North became known as the Union while the South was referred to as a Confederacy. Before the war, the main disagreement was either to promote slavery or abolish it, so as a result, a war stirred up.…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays