The Reconstruction Era

After the civil war, the United States was a country in total disarray. The Reconstruction period was intended to rebuild the Southern economy and government. In many ways, the Reconstruction Era was considered both a failure and a success. In a way, the Reconstruction period was considered a success because the government passed amendments to protect the rights of African Americans. The thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen amendments were critical to their rights. It created equality for African Americans. The thirteenth amendment abolished slavery. The fourteenth amendment allowed citizenship to everyone in the United States. The fifteen amendment allowed African American men to vote. Furthermore, black men were elected to political office, and …show more content…
There were many leaders who aimed to fix the South, but they were corrupted and greedy. In addition, the whites in the South did not agree with the new laws passed to help African Americans. The Ku Klux Klan was a group who used violence and threats to intimidate blacks and maintain white supremacy. They would attack blacks and whites who strived to gain equal rights for everyone. The violence got so out of control because they were killing, torturing, and hanging blacks every day. Additionally, the Ku Klux Klan would set their houses and them on fire. Also, the South still attempted to control the blacks. The sharecropping system was created to continue the institution of slavery. Blacks were given a portion of land to farm and earn a profit, but they were still treated like a slave. Moreover, there were white Southern Democrats who gained political office to attempt to restore things back to the way they were. They passed Black Codes and voting restrictions to terminate the privileges and opportunities of African Americans. This is another event that promoted racism in the South. In return, the Supreme Court supported these laws because the laws were only applied at the federal …show more content…
The laws made it difficult for African Americans. Segregation was also enforced in public areas such as housing, work, education, and employment. In addition, all Southern states adopted Jim Crow laws, and restrictions were placed on African Americans. It was not acceptable to drink from the same water fountain or eat at the same restaurant as Caucasians. Additionally, blacks were prohibited to go to the same schools as whites. Signs that said “Colored Only” and “White Only” were put up everywhere in public. Furthermore, blacks were prohibited from participating and voting in public elections. The law required blacks to pass literacy tests before they could vote, and most blacks failed the test because they could not read or write. On the other hand, the Grandfather Clause further suppressed African Americans, and it worked in the Caucasian’s favor. It indicated that they did not have to pass the reading test to vote if their ancestors voted before the Civil War. Moreover, the laws charged money to vote. This targeted African Americans because they were poor, and it weakened their political