To What Extent Was Reconstruction A Success Or A Failure?

Superior Essays
Reconstruction was a prominent event that occurred after the Civil War. Congress, President Andrew Johnson, Hiram R. Revels, Republicans, Democrats and freedmen all played a role in the reconstruction between 1865 and 1877. In reconstruction, Blacks gradually started to gain independence from the South. Unfortunately, there were some downsides to reconstruction, as a lot of the times there were riots, rebellions, and even deaths. Sometimes, there were even times where Freedmen were even worse than before. Because of this, Congress started getting involved and executing its own plan for the Reconstruction of the South. Congress passed the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments as well as putting in reconstruction acts for the South. …show more content…
Another problem was how the government was working against them by the aforementioned literacy tests. These were tests created by the South directly after the Civil War. These were long written tests that would test if they truly knew enough about the United States (typically given to black people) to vote for public office and the president. The tests were designed specifically to be very difficult to pass, even for United States patriots who spent their whole lives focusing on the United States. This also didn’t help that the KKK was in full force around the same time, even if someone managed to pass this almost impossible test they would be hunted and found by the KKK as seen from this quote from the Abrom Colby testimony, “The klansmen broke my door down, took me out of bed, took me to the woods and whipped me for 3 hours or more and then left me for dead.” They had also asked if he would not vote for the black politician and he said no, that he would stand up for what he did believed in and was whipped 1000 times. Another thing they were greatly affected by was the sharecropping system, which they thought was a good way to make money but were tricked and made half the money they would be making as well as debt from the landowners store leaving them with basically no money afterwards and making the landowner rich. Basically, just everyone was working against black people and they basically had nowhere to

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    The Reconstruction was a success at the beginning by adding the three new amendments, but it failed after that because the rules weren't strong enough to protect the former slaves from the white farmers. It didn't help the slaves to get equal rights like everyone including education, jobs and economic equality. At this point slaves were already free, but they weren't accepted in the society. The Reconstruction wasn't strong enough to deliver how important and big the problem was and that's why it failed. After a lot of tries African americans had to fight for their own rights until later on they got more accepted in the…

    • 108 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    2003 Apush Dbq Analysis

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Ku Klux Klan resented the progress that was being made and began to target both the scalawags and carpetbaggers. These different events made the Reconstruction a success both socially and economically. Reconstruction successfully put blacks on leveled ground with whites, but didn’t change southern racist sentiment. Biggest change of all was slavery being abolished. Economically blacks were building their own businesses and limited land reform ideas had been pursued, however, no widespread land reform happened.…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During reconstruction many thought things were going to improve but in result many worrsened. Reconstruction lasted from 1865-1877, after the civil war. During the civil war slaves fought to gain their freedom which reconstruction offered. But many things did occur during reconstruction they had laws put against them were they couldn’t do as they pleased, instead were told what to do, never having a say. The success and failures impacted the life of newly freed African Americans in a both positive and negative way.…

    • 1043 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Civil War was a long bloody battle that tore our Union apart. After General Robert E. Lee’s surrender, in 1865 at the Appomattox Courthouse. We had to put the United States back together in some way, and that way was Reconstruction. In Reconstruction, the Union had to bring the Confederacy back into the Union and to abolish slavery. Reconstruction lead to mass chaos in the United States and unfortunately failed.…

    • 650 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The reconstruction era (1865-77) took place after the Civil War in America. In the South, African American and white people both went through some similar experiences and those that were very different when slavery was ended. African American people began to take advantage of the new rights that were given to them including strengthening their church and school systems. They were no longer bound to their oppressors and could seek economic autonomy.…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Reconstruction Era was a historical period where the United States rebuilt and reunited themselves from the damage caused during the Civil War. The Civil War caused enormous economic, political, and social damages in the United States. The main goal of the Reconstruction was to restore the Southern states back into the Union. The Reconstruction Era was extremely successful and resulted in a new constitution, the development of a new economic system in the South, and led to African Americans getting more oportines The Reconstruction prompted changes of Constitutional Law, which leaded to new amendments.…

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Reconstruction refers to the period following the Civil War of rebuilding the United States. Abraham Lincoln, the president through the civil war created the Reconstruction to help repair the country and make the country whole again, while help African-Americans transition into society. However, the original plan didn’t turn out as plan, after Lincoln was assassinated his vice president, Andrew Jackson didn’t follow Lincoln’s plan. The Reconstruction was meant to be a time of peace and unity, but instead it was filled with pain, cruelty, and agony. In the Reconstruction, it brought the failure of the Congressional Reconstruction, the up rise of the Ku Klux Klan, and the ignorance of the Black Codes.…

    • 149 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Reconstruction in the South took place during 1865 through to 1877. It was not a success for many reasons. It finally came to an end about 10 years. This event had to do with much racism in the south. Back then blacks or african american were not treated fairly by the whites.…

    • 780 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    What is reconstruction? Its the period after the civil war in which the states that were previously apart of the confederacy were brought back into the united states. (1865-1877) the south wanted the African Americans to not be in office because they believed they weren't smart enough, the northerners believed that the African Americans had the right and were trying to help them. Towards the end of reconstruction the north inevitably lost and the south demolished the norths hope, causing the end of reconstruction. I believe that both the north and the south had a part in the downfall of…

    • 101 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Goals Of Reconstruction

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The reconstruction era was a period with two goals of ensuring basic civil right to former slaves and reunite the North and South to form on Union again. In the South, during this time many people suffered. President Lincoln wanted to allow the South to come back to the union and make them pay for all damages, however, the republicans wanted to make the South pay for succeeding in the first place. First was the thirteenth amendment, the abolition of slavery, second was the fourteenth amendment that granted black men citizenship, and third was the fifteenth amendment that granted black men the right to vote. Although, these amendments were soon forgotten in the South.…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    One of the main goals of the Civil War was to abolish slavery and create equality for all citizens. Reconstruction was supposed to help Southerners accomplish this goal. However, African Americans didn 't end up with perfect equality in 1865 and they still don 't have it in the year 2015. The racism after Reconstruction took away African Americans ' voting rights, they segregated colored and white people, and they even threatened them. Reconstruction was able to give African Americans many rights, but none of these rights lasted.…

    • 1273 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Jim Crow Laws Essay

    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages

    They had to accept that they were a different race of people from the whites, and an inferior race. And of course, the facilities provided for them were very rarely equal. One black…

    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Reconstruction was one of the biggest failures in United States History. It was supposed to be one of the most important things to happen to the country after the Civil War, but due to the lack of good leadership, and difficulty of a good compromise between the Democrats and the Republicans, it became a lost cause. The failure of Reconstruction definitely did affect the recently freed African Americans and Republicans. The Civil War was one of the most important events in United States History.…

    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The blacks were treated in a way in which they valid nothing…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    First and foremost was the segregation of the people. Many white kids were taught in school that blacks were “small minded” and not fit to live alongside white people other than to do their housework. “My teachers tell us that Kaffirs can’t read, speak, or write English like white people because they have smaller brains,” a little white boy, whom Mark’s grandmother worked for, had once told Mark, bringing to light that the idea that things should forever be segregated was being pushed onto many children at an early age (Mathabane, 192). And, as mentioned previously, many blacks who were given privileges would help to oppress their own race. Religion was also a big factor when talking about the oppression of blacks.…

    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays