Reconstruction Dbq

An extensive part of America’s history includes racism and unequal rights. Slavery was abolished in 1865 and this amendment is an effort to change for the better and help all those who lived their lives with discrimination and unlawful hatred. The indicated amendment faces America’s past head-on, and lays a foundation for equality, especially for those previously enslaved. The African American community was, for the first time in American history, given equal protection and citizenship rights under the law. This was stated clearly in the

The role of African Americans in the US has been crucial to every period of American history. For over a hundred years they had been enslaved, and disagreements over slavery culminated in the US’s bloodiest war. Groups such as abolitionists and northern, Republican politicians ultimately sought to use the war to change the status of slaves and all African Americans. When the Union won, three amendments were passed, which changed the lives of black people nationwide: the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. The respectively ended slavery, made all citizens equal under the law regardless of color, and gave blacks the right to vote.

The questions at hand were complex, and involved citizenship and government aid, and had to take the public’s varied opinions into account, as well as the political makeup of Congress. The 13th Amendment freed the slaves, but gave the slaves nothing except their freedom. The 14th amendment defined citizenship, then not only made discriminatory legislation (such as black codes) illegal, but provided consequences for states that did not comply. The Reconstruction Acts, although too broad and expensive to be applied in their entirety, required that the former Confederate States ratify the 13th and 14th amendments, as well as submit redrafted state Constitutions in order to be readmitted to the Union. The 15th Amendment made it possible for people to vote regardless of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude”, making it a radical, although certainly not selfless, act that granted African-Americans political power

Following the thirteenth amendment, the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments were passed which granted citizenship to all native born males, and also granted the right to vote, commonly referred to as suffrage, to all African American citizens of this time. The passing of each of these amendments made progressive steps forward in equalizing relations between race. Although many southerners still held hostile outlooks or perceptions of African Americans or other races at this time, African Americans could now participate in elections, and work a live freely in society. These amendments were the primary factors of success for reconstruction in that they formally and officially established some

A proceeding from the Convention of the Colored People of Virginia stated that for all men to have a say in their rights, they should tear down the restriction on the color of their skin for voting (Document H). Their purpose in saying this was to voice the thoughts that many blacks had in order to encourage them to fight for it. Their efforts were not done in vain as the 15th Amendment was passed, which destroyed the suffrage restraint against race. Although this act did not apply to black women, it was a movement in the right direction nonetheless. African Americans were also able to further advance their positions in society by obtaining government positions and participating in state constitutional conventions.

The Civil War was the most destructive battle in American history. The hurricane of a battle lasted for four years and is responsible for 785,000-1,000,000 Union, Confederate, and slave casualties. The battle was fought for the overall emancipation of slaves, and the Union succeeded in fulfilling that goal. You would think that after that war and after slavery was abolished once and for all, everyone would be happy and everyone would join together and sing Kumbaya; however, that's not exactly what happened. The Reconstruction Era was more destructive for slaves than the war itself.

The United States had major development and advancement throughout these years. This era began a new chapter in American history and presented a challenge to the beliefs and ideals that had shaped the country up to that point, it had a significant impact on how the country came to define itself. The federal government's efforts to rebuild the South and promote racial equality for all Americans were highlights of the Reconstruction era. They accomplished this by approving the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments in the United States Constitution. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction”.

‘‘Brown tried to get Douglass to join him countless times in his physical escapades but Douglass refused. (Wu page 55) Slavery was eventually abolished in 1865. Douglass then started campaigning for blacks to have the right to vote. After years of devoting his life to antislavery he then started devoting it towards equality between blacks and whites. The 15th amendment was passed in 1870 which gave blacks the right to vote.

Reconstruction Era took place following the Civil War, in the years 1865-1877. It was a time that had many different leaders with which had their own objectives and plans. This was a time with great pain, endless questions, and goals. Although there were struggles and pain along the way The Reconstruction was a success. After Andrew Johnson was elected president, and the chaos from the Lincoln Assignation settled down, things began to fall into place.

The 14th Amendment (1868) guaranteed African Americans citizenship rights and promised that the federal government would enforce "equal protection of the laws." Moreover, the 15th Amendment (1870) stated that no one could be denied the right to vote based on "race, colour or previous condition of servitude. " These amendments were created during the reconstruction era. Although these amendments were enacted, by the Congress, it does not mean that they were accepted by society. By 1872, 1,510 African Americans held office in the southern states.

Long before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fifthteenth Amendment, of 1870, states that all citizens, no matter the race, have the equal opportunity and right to vote (Cayton, et al., 1995). According to this article, the Fifthteenth Amendment was created to help fix issues between races such as equal opportunities and rights. Not only was there discrimination in this time, but there was segregation everywhere. Civil rights, let alone voting rights, for African Americans were unthought of. African Americans, during this time period, were thought of as property and nothing more.

At the time of the Constitution’s ratification, blacks in America, a population primarily comprising slaves, weren’t even considered people—rather, they were viewed as property. The Fugitive Slave Clause of Article IV of the Constitution, which stated that slaves who fled the state in which they were being held captive were to be returned to their owners. While this clause became moot after the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment, although not until nearly 80 years later, it is still important to note that the rights of black citizens continued to go unrecognized for decades. Instances such as the civil rights movement in the mid-20th century are further testaments to the Constitution’s ineffectual influence over obtaining the rights—the “political freedom”—touted by the Federalists and promised by the

People of African American descent were viewed as property in the eyes of American citizens for a great deal of time. However, between the years of 1860-1877, there was an unprecedented increase in freedom for African Americans. For example, the image in Document G, titled “The First Vote” shows black men casting their votes. This is a vast change from being unable to be considered anything but property to having a say in government and politics. Additionally, document G suggests the addition of the 15th amendment, stating the right of citizens to vote shall not be denied on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

The 15th amendment states you cannot deprive someone of their right to vote due to their race. This mainly allowed African Americans to vote.

Reconstruction During the Civil War, a lot of farms and plantations were burned down and crops destroyed. People also had Confederate money which became worthless and the governments were disorganized. Due to these reasons, the South had to rebuild again which is known as Reconstruction. The Reconstruction period was from 1865 to 1877.