African American Experience With Reconstruction Essay

Although slavery was declared over after the passing of the thirteenth amendment, African Americans were not being treated with the respect or equality they deserved. Socially, politically and economically, African American people were not being given equal opportunities as white people. They had certain laws directed at them, which held them back from being equal to their white peers. They also had certain requirements, making it difficult for many African Americans to participate in the opportunity to vote for government leaders. Although they were freed from slavery, there was still a long way to go for equality through America’s reconstruction plan.

Reconstruction is during which the United States began to rebuild the Southern society after they lost to the civil war. It lasted from 1865 to 1877, and it was initiated by President Lincoln until his assassination in 1865. President Johnson continued Lincoln’s agenda to continue the Reconstruction. Throughout the process of Reconstruction, one of its main purpose was to guarantees for equal rights for all people, especially for the African Americans. Even though slavery was abolished after the civil war, many Southerners were still against the idea of equal rights for all black people, such as the Republicans.

The course begins with the year 1877, which is when Reconstruction “ended”, even though it stilled occurred for years after, but not at as great of capacity. I believe that this is the best place to start this course because there is a different name to the United States after Reconstruction, and to see how much progress was made after the Civil War. Many important events occurred during Reconstruction, such as the creation of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. These amendments legally allowed for African- Americans to have rights in the United States. African American men were now legal United States citizens due to the Fourteenth Amendment, and had “equal protection of the laws” compared to white citizens during this time era, and

Maceo Cardinale Kwik Reconstruction Reconstruction was the twelve years after the civil war. Those twelve years were full of readjustment fixing the ruin the United States had fallen into. The problems that had the United states in disarray were how to, rebuild the South, reunite the states, and ensure the rights and protection of the newly freed African Americans. The civil war left the South in shambles, and newly freed slaves struggled to adjust to their new freedom. Most Southerners hated reconstruction and everything else about the North.

Reconstruction was a period of time dedicated to rebuilding the nation after the Civil War. The war ended with the South being defeated and their economy being devastated. Many Southerners struggled after the war with rebuilding their land and lives. The President and Congress had to decide the terms for which the former Confederate states would be permitted to join the Union. President Lincoln’s plan for reuniting the country was found in the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction.

This seminar offers students an introduction to the history of the African American freedom struggle beginning with the end of Reconstruction. It will engage with both the domestic and the transnational dimension of the quest for freedom against blacks’ exploitation and oppression by whites. Topics include lynching, colonialism, racial segregation, and the political struggles for decolonization and human rights. The course is designed to help students increase their knowledge of people, events, and places that were central to the African American and global struggle against racial oppression from the end of the nineteenth century to the close of the twentieth. This course is appropriate for sophomores, juniors, and seniors interested in learning

Obviously, the majority of state offices were initially held by whites; however, as the Reconstruction period progressed, more blacks began to fill positions such as law enforcement and tax assessors (Schultz, 2013). Some blacks were even voted into office, such as the first African American Senator of Mississippi, Hiram Revels. For those not fortunate enough to land a government job, they continued to work small plots of land in order to make a living, only as sharecroppers, as opposed to slaves. The South began to see an influx of carpetbaggers moving south to for a variety of different reasons (Schultz, 2013). Some of them worked with southern Republicans to get all types of improvements made in the south, such as new public schools

The American civil war led to the reunion of the South and the North. But, its consequences led the Republicans to take the lead of reconstructing what the war had destroyed especially in the South because it contained larger numbers of newly freed slaves. Just after the civil war, America entered into what was called as the reconstruction era. Reconstruction refers to when “the federal government established the terms on which rebellious Southern states would be integrated back into the Union” (Watts 246). As a further matter, it also meant “the process of helping the 4 million freed slaves after the civil war [to] make the transition to freedom” (DeFord and Schwarz 96).

The American Civil War was fought between the North and the South from 1861 to 1865. The disagreement of whether or not to abolish slavery was what started the Civil war, with the North wanting to rid America of slavery, while the South wanted to keep slavery alive. In the beginning of the Civil War it was considered a “white man’s war”. This seems quite odd considering it was a war fought over the enslavement of African Americans. When learning about the Civil War in school students often hear about Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant and of course Abraham Lincoln, but what about some of the key African Americans during the Civil War, such as Frederick Douglas, Mary Bowser, and Mary Touvestre.

In the period of reconstruction, there was a lack of racial equality and racism towards blacks. The 13th amendment abolished slavery, with the exception of allowing it as a punishment for a crime (“Thirteenth Amendment” 19). Although it abolished slavery, there was still a lack of equality towards blacks. The Black Codes were state laws in the south, that were implemented in 1866. These laws limited the rights of African Americans and were

Post Civil War, African Americans started to gain rights to gain rights, and soon gain rights equal to whites. While there were some people/things standing in their way (KKK, Black Codes), in the end they got what they needed; Equality. Many acts and laws were passed to aid the new rights now held by African Americans, as well as the numerous people willing to help. New Amendments were added to give African Americans rights after the war, all giving them some equal rights to whites. The first of the three added was the Thirteenth Amendment, it gave African Americans freedom from slave owners, and stated that no one could be kept as a slave in the U.S..

African Americans who in the South fought for their freedom and also in rebellious ways. Blacks were promised their freedom if they served in the war against the Confederate and the Union. During the war there were many killed and some survived. Those whose survived from the war was not granted their freedom like their master 's promised them. Because their freedom was not granted as should, back began to rebel and try to enforce harm against their owners.

The codes stated that even though people of color have some rights, they are not entitled to the same political or social equality of white people. The code stated that if a person of color made a contract for labor /service or such thing, they would be known as servants, and the one with the contract

Reconstruction a Failure or Success? Throughout the years, America has gone through many different political changes. Many presidents selected with different plans for our future. Sadly, many of those objectives have failed or came to an end.

In the years of the Civil War, African Americans played an important role in contributing to the Union Army and the confederate army. A great deal of African American men volunteered to join the Union Army but only after they gained freedom did they participate in fighting the war. Besides the Union Army, there was the confederate army which consisted of slave labor whom were forced to aid the confederacy following their masters. Later in the war, the Confederacy ran short on men and were in need to supply soldiers, leaving no choice but to enlist the colored men. Not only were African American men impacted from the war, but African American women also served to supply and aid in the war.