1860 Dbq Analysis

Improved Essays
From 1860-1877, the United States had gone through many important events. For one, Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860. Lincoln’s election would end up sparking the bloodiest war in American history, the American Civil War. The war raged on from April 12, 1861 to May 9, 1865. After the war was over, Radical Republicans took control of Reconstruction until 1877 when it finally ended with the election of Rutherford B. Hayes. Through all of these events, there were many changes and continuities sparked from constitutional and social developments that were occurring. In particular, from 1860 to 1877, the constitutional and social developments the United States experienced had a large role in changing the relationship of governing power …show more content…
During the Civil War, slaves had very few rights. They could not vote, hold office, or get an education among other things. There where however calls from change from blacks. A black American citizen had written a petition to the Union convention of Tennessee that asked for right for blacks. (Document 3) This document’s audience was the legislators of the Union convention of Tennessee in order to convince them to being about equality to blacks. However, nothing will change until 1867. The Reconstruction the followed the Civil War would change the states of freedmen. A combination of social developments and constitutional developments spurred change as ex-slaves and freedmen acquired more rights. For one, The 13th Amendment forbade slavery, the 14th said that ex-slaves were to be considered citizens, and the 15th Amendment gave black males the right to vote. All of these constitutional changes gave freedmen more rights. For the first time, black citizens had the right to vote as shown in the picture from Harper’s Weekly titled “The First Vote.” (Document 6) This purpose of this document was to show how that United States was changing. It also shows blacks in a positive light as an important part of the US’s survival. The rights and privileges of freedmen also increased with the growing Radical Republican ideal of racial equality that was seen previously in abolitionists such as …show more content…
Despite all of the new laws and amendments that brought about more rights for blacks, the vast majority of whites, both Northerners and Southerners, still viewed blacks as inferior. They were seen as dumber the whites and unfit for positions of legislative power. Whites particularly in the South still viewed blacks as good for only manual labor. In fact, most blacks in the South after slavery was abolished still remained in the South in a semi-slave state through sharecropping. Sharecropping is a system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on their portion of land. While sharecropping was not exactly slavery in the fact that the landowner did not own the worker, the black workers were still tied down to the land they worked due to their debt to the storekeepers from when they bought tools. If the debt remained for too long, black workers would be subjected to peonage, which is forced labor in order to pay off a debt. Peonage was very similar to slavery in the fact that they both included forced labor. Another way that blacks faced social injustice was the common notion that blacks were too ignorant to be legislators. In fact, many twentieth century historians were quick to blame black legislators for the corruption that occurred in Republican governments set up in the south under

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    The 13th Amendment was one of the most powerful Amendments that was given to our country. The passing of the 13th Amendment meant that all African Americans were no longer to be slaves, but were considered free individuals. Although the passing of this amendment occurred, African Americans struggled on a day-to-day basis with racism and segregation. The 13th amendment was meant to free them completely from the torture and struggle they had to deal with, but that was not the solution.…

    • 1339 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the early 1900s the effects of slavery were still being felt even thought slavery had ended. Many free blacks had to deal with major racial discrimination and injustices in this changing time of the United States. In the 1915 Suffrage for Black Women. This would be a step forward on the path to equal rights for the new population of freed blacks in America. Nannie Helen Burroughs founded the National Association of Colored Women.…

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Just because they were considered free people did not mean that they were automatically treated equally. The South implemented “Black Codes” that continued to separate the blacks from the whites. In the South, some states allowed blacks to work for white people, but they were still not free to leave without permission. Also in the South, they continued to be segregated by having to use separate modes of transportation, schools, restaurants, and restrooms. After the abolishment of slavery, and to assist the blacks into the newly reconstructed society, the concept of sharecropping was created.…

    • 1322 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Reconstruction era after the Civil War lasted began in 1865 and lasted approximately twelve years, it was long and tiring but brought much change in many areas. Reconstruction was ultimately run by the Radical Republicans in the U.S. Congress. This itself brought controversy and trials with President Johnson who had received office after Lincoln 's assassination. Johnson was followed by Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes, these presidents actions also adding stress to the reconstruction. While the federal government was fighting corruption in the North, the Ex-Confederate leaders were slowly making their way back into the southern government, something that everyone in the Union had decided was unacceptable upon Southern…

    • 1109 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1890-1925 Dbq Analysis

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages

    During the period 1890-1925, the effects on the role of American women had significantly changed their positions politically, economically, and socially. These political changes assert how women’s demanded equal rights, had an expansion of responsibilities and little political power, and the access to birth controls. The economic changes also involved women’s that were needed in the workplace, the right to vote, and growth of the women’s conditions. Not only this, but the social changes includes the stereotypes given to women and having no voice of opinion in politics.…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Historical Essay In the early twentieth century, The Civil Rights movement confronted a crisis as it sought out to move from access schools, public accommodation, and voting and voting booth to the economic divide separating African Americans from other Americans. In the South and in other parts of nearby states African Americans were banned from associating with whites in many institutions. Racial discrimination deprived African Americans of many beneficial opportunities.(Foner) The Reconstruction act in 1867 which established temporary military governments in ten confederate states- excepting Tennessee- required the states to ratify the fourteenth Amendment and permit freedmen to vote.…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1999 Dbq Analysis

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The United States of America has undergone major changes ever since the Revolutionary War was won. As well as major continuities in the change of political beliefs, economic policies, and the way the government was ran. The United States was going through growing pains, this would allow for a reformation of the government along with the politics at the time. These continuities and changes will shape the future of the Untied States of America along side its alliances with countries who were once enemies. Many Americans had feared that the tyrannical government they just gained independence from will reappear, but this time it will be in the form of their own government they had just established.…

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1960s Dbq Analysis

    • 1437 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The 1950s have always been portrayed as a perfectly painted picture, an era of traditionalism, prosperity, and conformity, however, as the 1960s ushered in the United States proved to be the complete opposite with recklessness, disillusionment, and protest. Many historians identify these two decades this way and it is completely true considering both social and political aspects of the 1950s and the 1960s are incredibly different. Political aspects in the 1950s were outstanding, the economy was great and a great military leader was the president of the era, Eisenhower. After the war production of the 1930s and 1940s, factories across the nation began to switch over to consumer production and a combination of war inflation and new found consumerism…

    • 1437 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    African American Dbq

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages

    “No man can be authentically free whose liberty is dependent upon the cerebration, feeling and action of others, and who has himself no designates in his own hands for sentineling, forfending, forfending and maintaining that liberty. Were African-Americans in the Northern Coalesced States genuinely free? There are three types of free. The blacks were free but authentically wasn't free they had many restrictions. One of the ways it political liberation.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Congress needed a solution to the issue of black inequality, so they came up with some new amendments. These new amendments were the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments. The Thirteenth Amendment was perhaps the starting point that got the ball rolling for equality. In Give Me Liberty, Eric Foner went into detail about each of the amendments, and stated, “On January 31st, 1865, Congress approved the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery throughout the entire Union-and in doing so, introduced the word ‘slavery’ to the Constitution for the first time” (541). Abolishing slavery was the first step for gaining equal rights for blacks because it gave them the ability to be their own person, and to fight for even more equal rights.…

    • 1402 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    1865 was the start of a brand new period in American history; Reconstruction. After the Civil War, the United States was left in ruins so the North helped the South rebuild and make it easier for them to rejoin the Union. Northerners and Republicans tried to help, but their efforts weren 't very successful. Reconstruction was a failure. During Reconstruction, African Americans gained many rights , but these rights didn 't last very long.…

    • 1273 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    The ratification of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments raised the hopes of the newly-freed slaves of North America. Slaves, abolitionists and Radical Republicans believed this would be the beginning of justice and equality for all Americans. The Freedmen’s Bureau reunited ex-slaves with their families and provided education, raising their hopes further. Their hopes, however; were soon dashed by the reality of Reconstruction. They were subject to long-term discrimination and segregation by angry southerners, threatened by their freedom.…

    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Black codes placed restrictions on the rights of freed blacks in different states including Virginia to to dragged out slavery a little longer. In 1866, Congress proposed the fourteenth amendment to declared all freed people including african americans as citizens and prohibit states from denying their rights as citizens. Congress also passed several of the first civil rights acts to guarantee blacks their rights. One of the acts required former confederates states to hold conventions to write new constitutions. In Virginia, army generals ordered that african americans be given the right to vote and be elected delegates to the convention.…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Suffrage The Only Issue

    • 1259 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The history of America is made of battles, conflicts and even wars in order to obtain and defend one of the most important principles, freedom. America, the land of the free, is today the home for a bit more than 300 millions of people with about 14% of immigrants, who have left their country to grab a piece of the American dream. From the early English travelers to the African slaves, and most recently the current immigrants, the American land has fulfilled most of its promises as demonstrated by the peaceful living of all the different races. However, the black history has a dark theme to it. First forcefully brought to this country as slaves, it took several laws, a secession of the confederate states, a civil war and three amendments before…

    • 1259 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    John Of Rubruck Analysis

    • 1820 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Douglas Blackmon provides evidence that supports the belief that slavery in America did not end after the Civil War. At the end of the Civil War and the passage of the 13th amendment, 4 million former slaves were granted freedom. The 14th and 15th amendments were put in place during the Radical Reconstruction, which acknowledged the freedom of all American people and allowed black men the right to vote. The purpose of the reconstruction was to recreate a country in which it would be possible to have a biracial and equal…

    • 1820 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays