The Three Amendments Of The Reconstruction After Civil War

The Reconstruction Era was a developmental time in the advancement of the American Nation. While the founding fathers original institution for the country was ahead in its time, it was flawed and began to show in the Reconstruction period. Before the Civil War had began a group of Radical Republicans formed another political party who were intent on fighting for the political, social and basic human rights of African Americans. They stood against the socially controversially gains of the capitalist society that was devoted to glorifying those based on the whiteness of their skin. After the Civil War ended the United States had to reintegrate a formally slave population back into the country which proved to be excessively difficult.

Following the ending of the Civil War in 1865, America was in an era known as the Reconstruction. The Reconstruction lasted until 1877. Citizens were attempting to rebuild our nation following one of the deadliest war in American History. In this time, the Fourteenth Amendment and Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution were ratified. Although slaves were freed, African Americans still faced intense racial prejudice and discrimination.

After the war ended, Abraham Lincoln began Reconstruction to fix what the war has destroyed. Reconstruction redefined what is meant to be an American because it now gave the African American’s a period where they could enjoy employment and participating in the political process. The article, Free People of Color in Louisiana, from LSU Libraries state's “Land ownership by free blacks in the South was less common, and those who worked in agriculture were often overseers and occasionally bookkeepers, business managers, and attorneys on the farms of white relatives.” This part of Reconstruction redefined what is meant to be an American because now colored men can work and own land like white men which threatening Southern farm owners. The 15th

The Confederacy destroyed for good in every state. The Federal government outlawed the slavery with the 13th amendment, which meant that slavery abolished. The 14th amendments defined citizenship and protected all American and the extended suffrage to all man in the 15th amendment. Like the freedman’s Bureau and civil right act help African American back on their feet. African Americans participated in new states and local government that work equal right into the rebuilder create services like school, railroads, hospital, housing, roads in the asylum.

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”.

The reconstruction was a period during US history, which took place after the Civil War when the South restructured into the Union from 1865 to 1877. The end of reconstruction was a justification that freed all African Americans from slavery. Although they had set this decision and law, African Americans still suffered from social, economic and political barriers, which caused major tension between blacks and whites. The civil rights act of 1875, racial discrimination was banned from public facilities, such as schools or public transportations. The fourteenth amendment protected people against violations of their civil rights b states, not by the actions of the individuals.

Reconstruction was an attempt to rebuild the country after the Civil War and tried to end the hatred between the North and South. In Reconstruction, the South was getting ready to come back to the USA after the Civil War. Reconstruction was supposed rebuild the South physically, and it was supposed to change the South’s thoughts on full equality for all races. The South thought that whites should always be superior, and that full equality should never happen. The North thought that equality was what should happen.

Once the Civil War ended, many people suffered from weaknesses. The war caused many problems, therefore, causing the need for Reconstruction. Reconstruction was used to fix the majority of problems that the Civil War caused. During Reconstruction, which occurred from 1865 to 1877, many people’s lives were impacted, especially African Americans because many were having to deal with political, economic, and social issues. A political perspective was that African Americans should be given more rights, a social perspective was to allow African Americans to have a normal life, while an economic perspective was that African Americans shouldn’t be allowed to connect with the government.

The American Civil War ultimately preserved the Union and freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation. Yet, it left a legacy of economic and social problems that required postwar solutions. The goal of Reconstruction from the end of the Confederacy to 1877 rested on the physical, economic, and political transformation of the South. However, Reconstruction was complicated by the legacies from both the South and North of the Civil War. During Reconstruction, a lack of political focus failed to solve the sectional differences, and the elimination of the freed slaves' newly gained rights with the Black Codes allowed for the same Southern leadership to come back into power.

The reconstruction to the constitution created a new way of things. A big thing was equality to everybody no matter what you were or supported. Reconstruction was in a way to some people was the golden opportunity to purge the nation of slavery and create “ perfect republic”. People like Thaddeus Stevens thought citizens should enjoy equal and political rights. Creating the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments empowered a new different state.

The Reconstruction Amendments established rights for African Americans that led to negative responses from white southerners. The establishment of slavery is one that was in effect for 245 years. Nevertheless, social advancements that were contributed from the 13, 14, and 15 amendments allowed for many new opportunities for African Americans. These were the first amendments made to the constitution in 60 years and are important because they mark the beginning of the Reconstruction of the Sought post Civil War. These legislatures carried with them many positive and negative responses from the citizens.

After the Civil War was over and the Union had won the war, four million enslaved workers had gained their freedom (p511). The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, also known as the Reconstruction amendments, were passed to abolish slavery, give citizenship to all persons born in the United States, equal protection of the laws and suffrage to all men. The nation succeeded in restoring the South after having lost many lives and property (p512). After the war, former slaves were able to establish their own African American churches and schools, where they learned to read and write. Immediately after President Hayes withdrew federal troops from Louisiana and South Carolina, Republican governments collapsed and Radical Republican legislation

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 fourteenth amendment was formed, when the Civil War had just came to a finish, which defeated the Confederacy. Abraham Lincoln, who was president at the time, had declared the slaves freed at the end of the war; but there were still a lot of questions concerning the former Confederates and what the status of slaves in the country would become. Congress shaped the Reconstruction Amendments which included the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments to the constitution. The thirteenth amendment was ratified in December of 1865 and put an end to slavery in the United States. This new law stated that slaves were no longer the property of the people, but the new law did not answer questions about the new rights that they were now definite.

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..