What Changes Occurred During Reconstruction Research Paper

Following the Civil War, Reconstruction marked a pivotal era in American history. The ending of the war led to the abolition of slavery, along with significant changes in American politics, economics, and society. It set the stage for the Reconstruction era when the US strove to integrate newly emancipated African Americans into society through healing and justice. However, this healing and justice proved to be more complex than anticipated. Many white Southerners resisted the positive altercations and created their own ‘loopholes’ as a form of backlash. The most important changes that occurred during Reconstruction were voting rights and restrictions, followed by labor contracts, and finally the rise of the Klu Klux Klan. The 15th Amendment
This cycle could not be broken because the landowners ensured that the African Americans would always stay in debt. This was another way white Southerners ‘inadvertently’ regressed Reconstruction. Sharecropping also allowed African Americans to work in white landowners’ fields. However, in return, the African Americans must have given the landowner a share of the year’s harvest. Like Tenant Farming, Sharecropping created a vicious cycle that forced African Americans to always be in debt. Although the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, white Southerners found ‘loopholes’ to ‘legally’ bring back slavery. During Reconstruction, the rise of the KKK changed American society by causing fear and hindering its progression. The KKK – Klu Klux Klan – was originally a social club composed of Confederate veterans. They formed after the end of the Civil War in 1865 with the hopes of preserving white supremacy and reversing Reconstruction through violence, specifically lynchings. Lynching is the public execution carried out for an alleged