The democracy that the forefathers created was a democracy intended for white landed men, but the end of the Civil War catalyzed a series of changes that created a society which better represented its diversity. While civil rights and suffrage have been legally extended to new groups, many of these groups continue to experience discrimination culturally and economically, especially in areas like immigration. Further, new inequalities have emerged with the recent increased visibility of groups like the LGBT community. McPherson calls Reconstruction the “Second American Revolution,” because it achieves many of the objectives of the first American Revolution. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments gave African Americans political representation, and in theory should have elevated
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Moreover, McPherson described Lincoln as a “conservative revolutionary” because emancipation wasn’t one of Lincoln’s original war aims, but became essential to winning the Civil War. Hence, union conservation, not emancipation, was the main aim of the war, as opposed to later movements that aimed specifically for various rights, allowing them to concentrate their efforts on getting those rights. Further, African Americans at this time weren’t able to mobilize themselves due to lack of education, lack of proximity to one another, and fear of vigilante violence. While black schools and churches aimed to remove some of these disadvantages, with the exception of the few years after the Civil War, black voter turnout remained low. Moreover, poor white farmers and laborers felt threatened by the elevated status of the blacks, giving them greater incentive to promote resistance and enforce black codes.
The progressive movement of the 20th century aimed to settle class conflicts, and was led by the urban middle class. According to progressives, human nature was malleable, and hence
Moreover, McPherson described Lincoln as a “conservative revolutionary” because emancipation wasn’t one of Lincoln’s original war aims, but became essential to winning the Civil War. Hence, union conservation, not emancipation, was the main aim of the war, as opposed to later movements that aimed specifically for various rights, allowing them to concentrate their efforts on getting those rights. Further, African Americans at this time weren’t able to mobilize themselves due to lack of education, lack of proximity to one another, and fear of vigilante violence. While black schools and churches aimed to remove some of these disadvantages, with the exception of the few years after the Civil War, black voter turnout remained low. Moreover, poor white farmers and laborers felt threatened by the elevated status of the blacks, giving them greater incentive to promote resistance and enforce black codes.
The progressive movement of the 20th century aimed to settle class conflicts, and was led by the urban middle class. According to progressives, human nature was malleable, and hence