Essay On Post Civil War Reconstruction

The Civil War is America’s bloodiest war. After the Civil War, there was a lot of things that went on, and these things left a big impact on America as it is today. Starting from Abraham Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation and the slaves gaining their right to freedom, to the birth of the Ku Klux Klan. Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation promised freedom to slaves. Although the Civil war is said to have ended in April of 1865, the violence did not. The violence towards blacks continued for another decade or so. The post-Civil War years are known as Reconstruction. The reconstruction years are marked by radical violence. During this time, the newly freed slaves suffered the worst. This violence was most often caused by Southern landowners, who were trying to keep their cheap labor in the fields. Of course throughout all of this, …show more content…
After the Union won the war, the Confederates who were left went back to what was left of their home. The Confederates were exhausted, defeated, and walked home full of shame. Aside from losing the war, their biggest defeat was the social and economic cost of the loss of slavery. In addition to this, many large plantation owners refused to release their slaves. Soon after, radical republicans created the Freedman’s Bureau, seeking change. America’s first major relief organization, the Freedman’s Bureau was responsible for the welfare of the newly freed slaves, including creating schools and helping blacks obtain their own land. They were also responsible for helping them transition smoothly from slavery to freedom. The Freedman’s Bureau was an organization that was underfunded and understaffed. This lack of support came from Lincoln’s successor, Andrew Johnson. Johnson was a southern democrat and an anti-slavery unionist. Although he was anti-slavery, he was not interested in granting rights to freed slaves and had no desire to see racial equality brought to the