What Are The Problems Faced By The Failures Of The Reconstruction Era?
Reconstruction
Rebuilding the South after the Civil War presented substantial challenges. This challenging period of time following the Civil War from 1865-1877 is known as Reconstruction. It was a time of transformation and a time of turbulence in the South. Abraham Lincoln initially developed a plan for Southern states to rejoin the union (Foner). Over time this plan changed when Lincoln was assassinated and Andrew Johnson became President. Legislation followed to try to resolve the issue of the time. Congress enacted the Civil Rights Act of 1866 to affirm citizenship (Foner) and established the Freedman’s Bureau (Hoar). The Freedman’s Bureau was a social welfare agency to assist newly freed slaves (Reconstruction). Over time, they passed …show more content…
Policies were imposed on the South against their will leading to discord and unrest. The new governments in the South enacted the Black Codes to limit rights of the newly freed slaves and to regain control over them (Foner). Southern states were able to undermine the 15th Amendment and kept blacks from voting through the use poll taxes and literacy tests. The Black codes restricted the freedom of the newly freed slaves and forced them to work for low wages. Reconstruction successfully challenged the idea of white supremacy but inspired violent opposition such as the Ku Klux Klan or KKK (Foner and …show more content…
Jim Crow laws were established in this time. Jim Crow laws enforced segregation of African Americans and whites and the “separate but equal” interpretation of the law was upheld by courts (Racial Segregation). With the election of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1877, enforcement ended and white domination was re-established in the South. White domination was re-established by using poll taxes to prevent African Americans from voting, cutbacks in funding for education, job opportunities were kept back for whites, and violence from groups such as the Ku Klux Klan or KKK was overlooked. The Supreme Court ruled that racial “segregation was compatible with equality under the law”
Rebuilding the South after the Civil War presented substantial challenges. This challenging period of time following the Civil War from 1865-1877 is known as Reconstruction. It was a time of transformation and a time of turbulence in the South. Abraham Lincoln initially developed a plan for Southern states to rejoin the union (Foner). Over time this plan changed when Lincoln was assassinated and Andrew Johnson became President. Legislation followed to try to resolve the issue of the time. Congress enacted the Civil Rights Act of 1866 to affirm citizenship (Foner) and established the Freedman’s Bureau (Hoar). The Freedman’s Bureau was a social welfare agency to assist newly freed slaves (Reconstruction). Over time, they passed …show more content…
Policies were imposed on the South against their will leading to discord and unrest. The new governments in the South enacted the Black Codes to limit rights of the newly freed slaves and to regain control over them (Foner). Southern states were able to undermine the 15th Amendment and kept blacks from voting through the use poll taxes and literacy tests. The Black codes restricted the freedom of the newly freed slaves and forced them to work for low wages. Reconstruction successfully challenged the idea of white supremacy but inspired violent opposition such as the Ku Klux Klan or KKK (Foner and …show more content…
Jim Crow laws were established in this time. Jim Crow laws enforced segregation of African Americans and whites and the “separate but equal” interpretation of the law was upheld by courts (Racial Segregation). With the election of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1877, enforcement ended and white domination was re-established in the South. White domination was re-established by using poll taxes to prevent African Americans from voting, cutbacks in funding for education, job opportunities were kept back for whites, and violence from groups such as the Ku Klux Klan or KKK was overlooked. The Supreme Court ruled that racial “segregation was compatible with equality under the law”