After a war that divided the nation into two and claimed the lives of thousands of men, the country was devastated. The relations between the North and South had crumbled, causing the country to desperately need reunification. Many changes were made in American society from the end of the Civil War to the turn of the century in an attempt to reunify the United States and improve the country as a whole; however, these changes were primarily detrimental to society. These changes developed across eras in American history, including reconstruction, westward expansion, and industrialization. Reconstruction failed to properly address major issues, westward expansion failed to respect the livelihood of those already inhabiting the land, and industrialization
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The period of reconstruction should be recounted as a failure, as there was a lack of support for equal rights, a lack of republican support, the condition of Freedman was poor, and a strong white Southern resistance. Former slaves may have been granted citizenship and voting rights; however, the former slaves did not receive any support in regards to acclimating to society. African Americans did not have property, jobs, or education, and no one was willing to help them achieve these liberties. White Southern resistance was a detrimental factor of society during this time, as it continued to make a difficult situation more difficult and led to segregation. Segregation was one of the most detrimental changes in society at this point. African Americans finally received freedom, but were highlighted as second-class citizens. The acts throughout this time period were so detrimental to the African American race as a whole that it took almost a hundred years for African Americans to garner the strength to fight for their rights in the Civil Rights Movement. This period of Reconstruction finally comes to an end with the Compromise of 1877, but segregation still prevails throughout the …show more content…
The rise of big business after the Civil War began with Laissez Faire economics. Businesses believed that they should be allowed to grow and prosper unencumbered by the federal government. These businesses adopted a survival of the fittest mindset in terms of business success and provided very poor working conditions for employees. People became more dependent on business owners and were less in control of their own lives. Employers consistently took advantage of this dependency, as workers were considered “expendable”. This detrimental manner of thinking led to the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911. The factory caught on fire on the 8th floor of the 10-story building, and the employees were unable to escape due to a locked fire escape. This event caused businesses to acknowledge the poor working conditions, but the transition to better working conditions was slow. These poor conditions were emphasized when migration and immigration increased towards to end of the century. African American’s moved north to receive better treatment, however they were still discriminated against in the North. The treatment was better, but certainly not equal. Segregation was still present, especially in regards to housing. Eastern Europeans also began immigrating to the Northeast region of the
The period of reconstruction should be recounted as a failure, as there was a lack of support for equal rights, a lack of republican support, the condition of Freedman was poor, and a strong white Southern resistance. Former slaves may have been granted citizenship and voting rights; however, the former slaves did not receive any support in regards to acclimating to society. African Americans did not have property, jobs, or education, and no one was willing to help them achieve these liberties. White Southern resistance was a detrimental factor of society during this time, as it continued to make a difficult situation more difficult and led to segregation. Segregation was one of the most detrimental changes in society at this point. African Americans finally received freedom, but were highlighted as second-class citizens. The acts throughout this time period were so detrimental to the African American race as a whole that it took almost a hundred years for African Americans to garner the strength to fight for their rights in the Civil Rights Movement. This period of Reconstruction finally comes to an end with the Compromise of 1877, but segregation still prevails throughout the …show more content…
The rise of big business after the Civil War began with Laissez Faire economics. Businesses believed that they should be allowed to grow and prosper unencumbered by the federal government. These businesses adopted a survival of the fittest mindset in terms of business success and provided very poor working conditions for employees. People became more dependent on business owners and were less in control of their own lives. Employers consistently took advantage of this dependency, as workers were considered “expendable”. This detrimental manner of thinking led to the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911. The factory caught on fire on the 8th floor of the 10-story building, and the employees were unable to escape due to a locked fire escape. This event caused businesses to acknowledge the poor working conditions, but the transition to better working conditions was slow. These poor conditions were emphasized when migration and immigration increased towards to end of the century. African American’s moved north to receive better treatment, however they were still discriminated against in the North. The treatment was better, but certainly not equal. Segregation was still present, especially in regards to housing. Eastern Europeans also began immigrating to the Northeast region of the