Answer the following questions concerning the document African Americans and Reconstruction:
1. How does this article increase your understanding of the effects of Reconstruction?
2. In what ways did Reconstruction fail African-Americans? Give specific examples from text.
3. In what ways did America socially progress from 1860-1876?
on Jan 30th, 2010 at 10:07 am
1) Even though the term “Reconstruction” has a connotation of rebuilding, recovering, and social and economic balance, that’s really not how the Reconstruction Period ended. African Americans were freed, but many were not allowed to leave the south, and equal opportunities in education, work, and basic human rights were STILL not granted.
2) African Americans were freed, but most attempts to make advances were rebuked by President Johnson. Firstly, William Sherman’s plan to re-distribute land was rejected by Johnson, who still viewed cotton and the agricultural south as something essential to the Union. The Black Codes kept freed Blacks restricted, even though legally such codes were unconstitutional. As Lincoln had strict rules on letting Confederate states back into the union (such as the 10% Plan), Johnson easily let states back into the Union, and defeated the purpose of forgiveness. Confederate generals were let back into Congress, much to the dismay of Republicans.
3) Although Southern slaves were free after the end of the Civil War, most Americans were not ready to call them equal to the rest of society. They were allowed back into society, but not allowed to vote or hold public office. Radical Republicans were the only ones calling for immediate equality, much to the disinterest of the rest of the U.S. The United States had taken the first step towards equality by the emancipation of slaves, but there was still a long way to go.
on Jan 30th, 2010 at 9:13 pm
1) It is as if reconstruction actually tore down more than in rebuilt. I had assumed for a long time that under reconstruction, benefits came to everyone, and everything became balanced, which turned out to be a poor stereotype. Even though African Americans were freed, many of the slaves didn’t even know it until a while later, and when they did find out, there was really nowhere that they could go. Many that left returned, because of poor job opportunities and the fact that that kind of work is all that they knew. Whites in the south did as many things as they could to keep the slaves as slaves, so reconstruction wasn’t all that it had lived up to be for African Americans.
2) President Johnson “curtailed”, corrupted, and tried to stop as many of the rights of African Americans as he could. John Spiller says that economic process was very slow because of the fact that cotton was still the biggest export in the USA after the war. He says that the slaves had to stay there and were many times so far into debt that they rarely got their own land, so they had to stay as laborers for very little wage, making it even harder to get out of debt. Black codes were aimed at keeping former slaves as subordinates. That purpose alone and the restrictions that those codes carried, made it almost as if they continued to still be slaves. Now they got paid a very little amount, yes, but everything else had barely even changed. Almost every part of their rights still continued to be restricted. I believe that the panic of 1873 was a big part of segregation. Segregation was one of the biggest things that was a failure to the African American cause. It strengthened and worsened the hatred towards them, something that should have been avoided if the Civil Rights Act had become an amendment.
3) Black codes were a big part of the social progression, but it was not progress at all. The codes represented everything that they fought against, and when they got freedom, there was little to be free for, because they still had little to no rights. There were many riots, and a ton of violence, but there was a glimmer of hope in the Freedman’s Bureau. With this Bureau they got many schools and hospitals and public places to help African American society. They were starting to get some political rights, such as Charles Caldwell, but it remained very little. In 1873, society took another step backwards with the Slaughterhouse Cases. They shot down everything that the 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act stood for. Segregation became very normal, and remained so for almost another century.
on Jan 31st, 2010 at 9:27 am
1) The effects of Reconstruction had more downsides, then ups. It created an atmosphere of terror in many African-Americans. White supremacists in the South and anti-black groups like the KKK discriminated against blacks and killed them in fowl ways, like lynching. Reconstruction in the government only worsened the blacks situation. With President Johnson he allowed Confederate leaders back into office, which led to the creation of Black Codes and eventually segregation. The ups were few, but significant to the survival of a strong black community. They created schools, churches, and communities where they could start over, which helped many blacks start families. Overall, African Americans still did not get the freedom and equality that they were supposed to be granted after the Civil War.
2) Reconstruction did for the most part fail. Hate groups lashed out at African Americans, lynching became common and the government did little to actually stop these attacks and discriminations. President Johnson only helped fuel the South in creating Black Codes by pardoning Confederate leaders and associates. Many African Americans returned to the plantations and worked in poor living conditions, they were forced to continue working at the plantations because the owner would make them fall into debt. Which continued to the push towards the blacks as subordinates to whites. Not many African Americans were allowed into law and government, and even though they had the same rights as whites, their equality was only in the law, and not in the community. This eventually led to segregation. The Civil Rights Act and the 14th and 15th Amendments were maneuvered around by Southern communities by creating the “grandfather clause” and only allowing blacks to vote if they could read. Segregation was the outcome of Reconstruction.
3) The social progression involved the treatment of African Americans, which progressed into Black Codes and segregation. The codes created a society where blacks had little, to no rights what-so-ever. Whites wanted to feel superior, and the Black Codes allowed them to control African Americans since they no longer were slaves. These laws created a class of skin color, and Southerners and Northerners judged in the courts by skin color. The government in many Southern communities was corrupt with this idea. Making the societies in the United States segregated, so that America could not socially progress. African Americans were limited to what they could progress in because of the biased courts and government.
on Jan 31st, 2010 at 11:24 am
1. Reconstruction provided many opportunities for blacks to gain equal rights in the 19th and 20th century, yet each time an act or law was presented, they would be shot down by a democratic dominated government. There were economic strides for blacks, as well as literacy rates improving, but still the numbers were very low. Land and jobs were scarce for newly freed slaves and the Black Codes and Jim Crow laws made it even harder for blacks to gain equality in America. In all, reconstruction, in practice, should have created more equality for blacks, but never actually made a difference.
2. Reconstruction failed African Americans because of the hope provided by Lincoln’s plan, and republican government. After Lincoln’s death though, everything began going downhill and Democratic leaders made up most of the government setting unfair laws and acts to keep African Americans from having success in America. Acts of violence on blacks increased as the KKK was established, lynchings became popular, and other acts of terror were common. Reconstruction had hope, but eventually caused violene among America.
3. American society was begginning to progress in the 1860’s after the Civil War, it looked as though Lincoln would ensure equal rights for African Americans and that they would be provided land, jobs, and even voting rights. Following his assasination though, progress was hard to come by in America. Laws set up like Black Codes to control blacks halted any progress made. African Americans were able to own land a jobs, but the land given to them was usually bad, and the jobs were low paying.
on Jan 31st, 2010 at 12:38 pm
1. This article helped me understand that Reconstruction sertainly did not go as planned because although there were people who were genuinly concerned with helping the newly free, the opposition against such help was even larger. As a result, by the end of the Reconstruction Era, Arfrican Americans still did not posses the economic, social, and political security they strived for.
2. To me, the biggest failure were the “slauterhouse cases” mentioned in the article. It just seemed to me that all this work had been done to try to garentee equal rights and the Supreme Court trampled all over it. They also legalized the idea of “seperate but equal” that ruled the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, 100 years later.
3. When one uses the term progression, one usually thinks of moving forward. I have a hard time calling what happened socially durning this time period progression becuase it ultimately led to the notion discussed in my former response, “seperat but equal”. And today, we can all look back and say how rediculous that was, but honestly, for this time period, it was progression. The majority of the African American in America at the time, we just newly freed. Not but a few years ago, they were slaves. And though it is argued that if Reconstruction had gone the way it was supposed to go, we never would have had “seperate but equal”, but there was never a proper leader to prevent it from happening because Lincoln was shot. The idea of equality with a race that white southerners in particular had just looked down upon as slaves was going to take some time to get used to and segragation, one could argue, was at least a tiny step in the right direction.
on Jan 31st, 2010 at 1:11 pm
1. Reconstruction was a time period where Blacks were supposed to be given the rights to vote, go to school, own land, be a citizen of the United States, etc. Although what Lincoln wanted did not become true in some ways. The African Americans were free and could go anywhere they wanted, but most of them ended back where they started because they had no where to go and no money. Congress tried to create organizations that helped the African American, but where limited because of Johnson.
2. Reconstruction failed African American in that it did not allow become apart of the United States; they were still look upon as low class and “servants”. The Black Codes and the limited African American’s freedom and what they do. They could only become servants under a “contract”. African Americans were also limited in voting. By the 15 amendment African Americans were allowed to vote by law, but because of poll taxes, literacy tests, and the Grandfather Clause African Americans were limited in voting. Congress had tried to create organizations like the Freeman’s Bureau had tried to help African American in obtaining land and start their own business. At the same time there were white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan, Knight of the White Camellia, and the Red Shirts who opposed free African Americans and did anything to stop them for succeeding in society and taking over the White.
3. After the Civil War, African American had been freed, but with no help from the government most of them went back to were they began. Instead of just being treated as slaves and working, they were treated as disgusting creatures that want to take over the white society. So (some) of the white population did everything possible to prevent that, even if it meant killing them. American feel that since now that slaves are free, they need to get revenge on the whites for what they have done to them. Thinking that the American feel that they need to be dominate over the African American by enforcing Black Codes and using any means to prevent them from being part of society.
on Jan 31st, 2010 at 1:25 pm
1) The results of Reconstruction were mixed. In the end, former slaves: never reached true social/economical equality, were essentially abandoned by the Republican party with the Hayes ‘victory’, and most faced the reality that ‘freedom’ just meant surviving different difficulties. Formerly wealthy whites expressed their contempt by the actions of the Ku Klux Klan and used various other tactics to remain the reigning race in their respective counties. Overall, the Reconstruction was just a bunch of laws that were passed and very weakly enforced; promises to ex-slaves not kept.
2) After Hayes was put into office, the passage of the 14th Amendment did not result in the success of all eligible former slaves being able to vote. They were left landless, without a means of supporting themselves independently. Their only choice was to depend on employment from others. Black Codes meant that many former slaves remained in a system of labor very similar to slavery.
3) An increasing number of African American children were becoming literate. White supremacy groups and other hate clubs developed. Segregation became the norm. Blacks were finally elected to federal/public offices.
on Jan 31st, 2010 at 1:28 pm
1. The way in which the article is divided makes it very clear that Reconstruction was a great opportunity wasted. For example, the section entitled “Economic Progress” states that before the end of Union occupation of the South, some blacks had success in starting their own farms and towns, even in the South. However, these opportunities all but disappeared about ten years later, to be replaced with sharecropping. Military progress was the only truly permanent progress made and put into effect in the time period. Social progress also came to a halt (and was significantly backtracked) by the late 1870s. While Black Codes were outlawed, the government failed to effectively enforce this rule, or stop lynching or denial of voting rights for another fifty or sometimes closer to one hundred years. The Freedmen’s Bureau did great work until the end of Union occupancy in the South. In place of a chance to become more equal, “separate but equal” became the standard. Black participation in the national government increased slightly for a short time, and then was practically nonexistent until the following century. While Reconstruction held the potential, at the beginning, to make America a more equal, more free land, progress made was almost entirely wiped away before the turn of the 20th century, not to be regained until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
2.While progressive legislation and other forms of reform were present in early Reconstruction, all development was effectively stopped by the end of Reconstruction. Reconstruction, and its goal of significant progress for blacks, effectively failed. Land rights gained in the short time following the war were often removed later, to be replaced with the de facto slavery that was the sharecropping system. For example, land taken from white Southerners and given to freed slaves by Sherman was returned, and the program halted, by Johnson. Increased participation in politics was forcibly taken from many blacks by Southerners, including not allowing blacks to vote and passing Black Codes. Laws like the “grandfather clause” and rules stipulating that illiterates could not vote significantly decreased black voting. The KKK began killing blacks and black sympathizers without any real intervention from the Federal government for years. Lynching continued in the South for decades. The idea of “separate but equal” took the promise of freedom for blacks and made it really only a right not to be physically owned by another person. Cases like Plessy v Ferguson and Cunningham v The Board of Education made equality a lost cause for blacks. When Hayes removed troops from the South, he ended any hope of the great reform promised at the end of the Civil War. Reconstruction had failed both blacks and anyone who saw the possibility for American progress.
3. Socially, in America, from 1860-1876, progress in politics and the economy showed social changes. Politically, blacks could now technically join political bodies as representatives, and did in large numbers. Economically, some former slaves made a living for themselves with the land that they were previously not allowed to own. The Civil War forced industrial progress and fast development. Socially, the slave system was over, and blacks were at least allowed land ownership, education, and technical voting rights. The patriarchal social system of the South was dying. While many Civil Rights endeavors were stopped dead in their tracks by Johnson and other factors, this era did include great development for the country’s social system.
on Jan 31st, 2010 at 2:28 pm
1. Reconstruction wasn’t a good thing for blacks. It was basically like slavery all over again. Even though blacks were “free” they really werent in a sense. Most of them had no money and no education to go anywhere else so they often times had to stay on the plantation they were already on. They got paid to do their work but they had to give the money right back for the rent that they owed for living on the land they worked for.
2. Reconstruction failed the blacks economically, socially and educationally. After Lincoln’s death everything went downhill for blacks, new black codes were in place that restucted blacks from doing almost anything that benifitted them. Violence surged because whites were “scared of a black uprising”, so they killed blacks almost 2,000 in Shreveport. Black hate groups were also starting to surface like the ku klux klan and segregation was becoming an epidemic.
3. America didn’t really socially progress during that time period. Even though black entertainers, musicians and writers were becomming more accepted, segregation was becoming the “norm” and black hate crimes were at an uprising. In all the hatred and violence blacks were still becomming more literate and fighting more and more for their eqality, even if it meant getting killed for our people and what we believed in.
on Jan 31st, 2010 at 2:40 pm
1. The article explains that during Reconstruction, there were many laws passed meant to help freed blacks and protect their rights, or at least that was the original intention. Most of these laws were either shot down or never effectively enforced. Southern states also found ways to get around the laws to make sure blacks didn’t gain too much political power. Although blacks were freed from the horrors of slavery under Reconstruction, most former slaves gained few of the rights they should have gotten.
2. After being enslaved all their life, free blacks had nowhere to go, and no way to support themselves and their families. Many had to turn to sharecropping and other similar forms of wage-earning. They gained better living conditions, but were constantly in debt and had no hope of ever owning their own land. Laws protecting blacks were poorly enforced, leading to lynchings by terrorist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. Even blacks that had gained political and economic rights were still seen as social outcasts as a result of segregation.
3. As black communities developed, so did black churches and schools. The black literacy rate rose and the mortality rate lowered. Blacks were now viewed as equal to whites, but were not fully integrated into society. The “separate but equal” idea led to blacks having drinking fountains, schools, benches, and train cars separate from whites.
on Jan 31st, 2010 at 2:44 pm
1. This article showed how, for blacks, Reconstruction did not turn out how they thought it would. They thought that this would be the end of subordination, but that was not the case. Reconstruction basically kept them working for white people, kept them in debt with little chance of digging themselves out. They still had no way to get ahead in America. People still looked down on them and were rude and hateful towards them. I don’t think that anyone was really very happy during Reconstruction.
2. “Jack Dupree, black and politically active in Mississippi, who had spoken out in favour of equal rights, had his throat cut by the Klan and was disembowelled in front of his wife.” Blacks who fought to get ahead were killed and attacked by groups such as the KKK. Reconstruction was supposed to help them and make them free, but they were still abused. Also, in the Panic of 1873, “Politically-active blacks were refused jobs, charged higher prices in shops and denied tenancies.” African Americans did not have the equality that they thought the Constitution promised.
3. America didn’t really socially progress a whole lot, but they did in some ways. The Freedmen’s Bureau helped freed blacks in many areas. They helped with schools and created the first colleges. Blacks finally being able to read and write was a big thing. Also, blacks were allowed to marry, which they could not do while in slavery. They also had their own churches. All-black churches became a big part of African-Americans’ lives. Other than these things, America pretty much stayed in their mindset of white supremecy.
on Jan 31st, 2010 at 4:43 pm
1 This artile really shows the mixed succcess of the reconstruction. Though as far as the constitution was concerend blacks and whites were equal, this equality was really inforced, and though blacks started out the reconstruction in a much improved position, by the end they were back to little more than payed slaves.
2 the reconsturtion faild blacks in many ways. One of the most important was in giving them the right to vote. though legilly blacks could now vote, many states passed laws to prevent them such as grandfather clause laws in Louisiana, pole taxes in Georgia , and litteracy tests in Mississippi. the reconstruction also faind blacks in the area of getting them land. this was a big failor because without land blacks could never trully be free. though several generals, such as General Sherman, gave conficated land to freed blacks most of this land eventualy went back to the whites who had own it before. The worst failor however was that most of the changes that happened, much of the work that was compleated was destroyed by white southeners after the union troops left.
3 During the reconsturtion, american society was able to progress. Durring this time the ideals of equality and freedom were at there most powerful in the nations history. durring this time americans were trying hard to realize the ideas of freedom set forth by the founders almost 100 year before. for the first time in history there right to vote was extended to both back and white and equality was infroced by the constitution for all. unfrotunatly due to presedence who were reluctant to inforce this equality and the loss of power of the radical republicans, this oppertunity of freedom was lost an the south once again forced the african americans to be second class citizens.
on Jan 31st, 2010 at 4:48 pm
1. During Reconstruction, many laws were passed to help freed blacks, but most of them did not work. Some southern states found loopholes and most ex slaves did not gain as many rights as they should have.
2. The point of Reconstruction was to help African Americans get back on their feet. Hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan terrorized blacks by killing and torturing them. Blacks had limited rights and had no power over their own land. For the most part, Reconstruction showed little help towards equality.
3. America showed little social progression between 1860 and 1876. The Freedman’s Bureau helped some blacks in areas. However, whites still showed agression towards blacks for no reason. Blacks were now allowed to marry which was previoulsy unnacceptable. Although these little things allowed small freedoms, whites still had superiority in America.
on Jan 31st, 2010 at 6:41 pm
1. The section on the social effects of Reconstruction helped me understand the violence and muders that went on between Southern white people and African Americans. Although I knew of the KKK, I was not aware of the extent of the violence in some places. The article also increased my understanding of the political side of Reconstruction and how the “separate but equal” policy developed from Supreme Court decisions and other laws.
2. African Americans saw freedom as being equal to white people. Reconstruction failed to accomplish this. Although they were freed, the Supreme Court cases mentioned in the article such as Plessy v. Ferguson and Cunningham v. The Board of Education ensured that they were not thought of as equals. Reconstruction also failed to make African Americans economically independent. Although the article talks about Benjamin Montgomery, a former slave who bought two plantations and became very successful, it also says that the majority of African Americans did not have enough money to buy land. Those who could not find other jobs had to continue to work on cotton fields under the sharecropping system, which was only slightly better than slavery.
3. Although there were still lots of illiterate African Americans, the Freedmen’s Bureau successfully set up schools for them, and by 1900 there were 75 colleges for African Americans and their literacy rate had grown considerably. African Americans were also to marry, be on juries and give evidence in court, and have their own names.
on Jan 31st, 2010 at 6:42 pm
1. Reconstruction was a failed attempt to bring the country together. It divided the country sectionally and especially racially. African Americans were supposedly “free” but had only a few more rights than an actual slave would. Many laws were passed to try and create equality but they failed to hold. Open land was supposed to be given to free blacks, not the original slave owner but ended up back in the hands of the slave owners and the paying system of labor also failed when the price of cotton dropped, giving African American no freedom.The south was still angry about the war and decided to take their anger out on the African Americans. However, the north did not help the situation either by shooting down the freedman’s bureau and made it impossible to follow the Civil Rights Act.
2. Reconstruction failed African Americans in many ways. Hate groups, such as the Klu Klux Klan, terrorized blacks by killing them or brutally beating them. This group wanted to stop the economic progress, educational opportunities and voting rights of blacks. This is exactly what the Reconstruction period was supposed to stop, but failed. Another example was Charles Caldwell who was found not guilty by a jury of white men. for murder of a white man. He was also a member of the senate. He was shot at 30 times and was finally killed. The reconstruction period failed to protect him and his rights.
3. America had little social progression between 1860 and 1876. Blacks were not treated as slaves anymore which was a step in the right direction. They had a few rights and could be a functioning part of society. Blacks were not seen as equals though and whites treated them as if they were inferior. This made it much harder for blacks to integrate into society therefore pushing the progress back slightly.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 3:40 pm
1. I now understand that the term “reconstruction” was incorrect. Freed slaves were supposed to gain freedom and have rights but that failed because of the lack of leadership. No one was willing to take on the responsibility of making sure that blacks were equal and not being miss treated. Some people tried to make things that way with the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments but they did not follow through and so no one in the south took them seriously. Lincoln’s brilliant ideas for reconstruction were shot down with him. The truth is that all we reconstructed was the old ways of the south but with different guidelines to make people in the North feel better.
2. After giving what black what they had wanted for so long, America turned there backs on them. They offered slaves “freedom” but they did not give them the resources to be free. Ex slaves were left with no land, no money, and no support. With out proper support from the government, white supremacist groups had free reign with no fear of being caught or prosecuted. Thousands of blacks were lynched or lived in fear of being attacked by groups like the KKK who brutally murdered and tortured many blacks like Charles Caldwell who was shot 30 times for being found not guilty in the killing of a white man. America had a chance to change this during reconstruction but they failed because they could not take the inniative or have enough leadership to in force change.
3. Blacks were treated almost if not the same as they were when they were slaves. Though the South had to respect the Emancipation Proclamation, they did everything in their power to make black peoples lives as limited as possible. The passing of the slave laws, and the treatment of blacks proved that the social mind set of southern and northern people had not changed. The northerner s just sat back and let this happen so they are responsible for these actions as well as the south.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 4:29 pm
1. This article explains the negative side of post-civil war reconstruction that we do not expect from the term ‘reconstruction.’ Though attempts were made to create a society in which African Americans held the same rights as whites, they ultimately were not enforced enough to seem like we actually cared about these men. In the south, where blacks were more concentrated because they lacked the money to leave in many cases, ‘black codes’ were enforced, groups of white supremacists were formed, and blacks were stripped of their civil rights.
2. Reconstruction failed for blacks on many levels. The foremost of which was share cropping; an ongoing cycle of debt and fundamentally, slavery. On top of that, terrorist groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan, The Red Shirts, and the Knights of the White Camellia proved that the human rights of blacks were not being respected as they were supposed to be.
3. Though there were not very many positive angles found in the Reconstruction for African Americans, they were granted their freedom. That freedom gave them the rights to learn, to find their families and reunite, and to take roles in society above the inferior role of a slave. That freedom bestowed by the 13th amendment was a great progression for the roles of African Americans.
Wooooot.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 4:38 pm
1. Before reading this article I never quite understood how unsucessful reconstruction really was. I always thought that after the Civil War the blacks had everything they wanted and were free to go do whatever they want and all their problems were over. I always saw the Civil War victory as a new start for the blacks when in reality a lot of their problems were just beginning. Despite the end of slavery the blacks journey after the civil war was anything but easy
2. Reconstruction failed African-Americans because they had nothing. They were free but hate and prejudice constricted them from the freedoms they were initially given. Southern hate groups like the KKK killed many of them simply out of anger that they were free. Reconstruction was meant to strive towards equality for all but people but that was unsucessful. Black Codes also restricted African-Americans to a point where they were almost not free all over again
3. At the end of the Civil War, Lincoln was promising equalities and social progress to come, but when Johnson took office after his assassination America didn’t show many signs of progress. Whites dominated all decisions towards blacks and their rights, limiting them in any way they could. There really was not much social progress for blacks in the decade of the 1860s
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 4:55 pm
1. This article helped to truly show how the “great” reconstruction plan truly affected African Americans. If reconstruction had gone uncontested, it had great potential to help the country regain strength. However, it failed and ended up causing economic stress and a division between the Northern and Southern states. Reconstruction at first was a good idea but it ultimately turned into a battle between the North and South with each of them wanting to rebuild the country their way, further tearing them apart.
2. Reconstruction failed African Americans because they were still treated unfairly after it. Since the country’s economy still relied on cotton production, Blacks still faced oppression because the Southerners saw it as vital to their economy. The sharecropping system was set in place by Southerners in order to try to keep Blacks from prospering while maintaining the South’s economy at the same time. Black Codes were also used by Southerners to try to keep conditions as close to slavery as possible. Although there were some small triumphs for the African Americans, the negative effects definitely outweighed the positive ones. The only positive effects were largely symbolic, like their actual freedom or their right to vote, which was not exercised very liberally. Overall, because of the hatred towards the Blacks by the Whites, they were still discriminated against and treated unfairly all throughout Reconstruction.
3. There were several social shifts during reconstruction. First off, Blacks were given some rights for the first time in the nation’s history. However, their rights were not well received by White Southerners which caused and even further growth in hatred of Blacks and spawned hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan. Another social change was the establishment of the first true, Black schools in the United States. Although few in numbers, the schools allowed African Americans to receive an education which would help them to stand up for their other rights. Another thing that could be considered a social change is African Americans receiving reinforcement that they had the right to vote. This right turned out to be largely a symbolic shift though, since not very many African Americans actually went out and voted due to discrimination and unfairness against them. Blacks gaining the right to vote further fueled hatred for them by White haters. The biggest social shift during Reconstruction, though, was the start of segregation. Since it was ruled to be legal for Blacks and Whites to be separated as long as conditions were equal, Whites made sure they were separated. This mentality caused a century of segregation in the United States, with African Americans still being treated as inferiors.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 5:02 pm
1. I learned that, even though reconstruction failed, it still made a valiant attempt at first. In the many laws were made to give African American the same rights as whites, but they were unenforced after a while. It was the beginning of a long struggle for equal rights.
2. Reconstruction was a failure. Though there was no ’slavery,’ the Black Codes kept African Americans in a state just as close. Hate groups spread terror, and equality was like a twisted parody of the truth.
3. There were several years under Lincoln and directly after his presidency when society embraced concepts like freedom and equality for all. But with our great former president’s death and the ascension of Johnson, things began their long fall. I can equate it to losing weight. First, you do alright, but then, after a while, you just really want that McDonald’s and all your progress goes down the drain.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 5:30 pm
1. The article made me more aware of the fact that even though slavery was abolished, it was still going on in different forms, minus the actual term “slavery.” They were supposed to have the basic rights, but for some while these rights were not implemetned, especially by the southern former slave owners.
2. Although they were free, the African Americans were not equals. They were terrorized by the KKK, and still used as almost free labor through sharecropping. Black Codes also kept them from gaining the true freedom they wanted.
3. From 1860 to 1876, not very much had changed. Slaves were now free, but under a false pretense. They were now allowed to join political parties, get an education, and make a living for themselves and their families. This was all good, but it was only a start to what the African American population deserved.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 5:40 pm
1. What happened to the African Americans should not be called “reconstruction” due to the fact that it wasn’t ever met. There was a good attempt for reconstruction and it grew over time, but that time was limited.
2. It never changed people’s opinions about African Americans and actually increased their some people’s hatred for them. An African American namedAbram Colby turned down bribes from Democrats and was eventually targeted by the KKK and was nearly whipped to death. Blacks in some areas were disenfranchised through fraud, intimidation or violence once troops were pulled out of the South.
3. During and a little after Lincoln’s presidency, social equality for blacks gradually grew. Through the Congress’s efforts, blacks temporarily had power in legislature. Later during the Civil War, blacks in the South were allowed to fight on the Union side. This increased the bond between blacks and whites which would later be snapped by an angry Democrat president and his political intelligence.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 5:48 pm
1. After reading the article, I realized how close we were to making actual progress and how much had been accomplished–there were African-American politicians, teachers, doctors, etc. If we had continued on that path maybe there could have been an end to racism and segregation once and for all. However, reconstruction was ended far too soon, and the result was that little of that progress was continued.
2. Reconstruction failed African-Americans in many ways. Mostly it failed to enforce the laws against segregation and discrimination, as well as failing to protect those who were willing to speak out for their rights. For example, the government and the people did not protect Jack Dupree after he expressed his support for equal rights and was killed by members of the Ku Klux Klan. They also missed the opportunity to gain complete equality. There was a chance to end discrimination once and for all, but instead they opted for a “separate but equal” society (which wasn’t really equal at all).
3.There was a lot of social progress, but it didn’t go nearly as far as it could or should have. The fact that African-Americans were now free and could choose how to live their own lives was a huge step forward, and many more steps were taken at the beginning of reconstruction–for example, there were African-American politicians, doctors, and teachers. Now, a lot of this wasn’t permanent; by 1900, George White was the only black congressman left, but it was still much better than what it had been just a few decades before. Certainly reconstruction left a lot to be desired but some positive social progress was definitely made.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 5:58 pm
1) I realized that the so called “reconstruction era” wasnt actually a era of reconstruction, it was a era of guessing and checking. If reconstruction had gone with out any hitches, america would have a whole different history. But even though it failed it made a big atempt to try out this new idea and without that idea, we might still be stuck in segregation now. Some people say that it was almost like slavery again, but i dont believe that to be true, the black people were free and able to own land(even if its not the most fertile), go to school, go to church, and establish families that most werent able to have. It wasn’t a big step up from slavery, but at least it was a step.
2) The african americans automatically believed they should get equality and land and voting rights(which they should of), but they didnt get that and I think that’s what confused them the most. They were left with nothing, and they were never in that position before. They literally had to make a dollar out of fifteen cents. Hate groups like the ku klux klan was another failure of the government to aknowledge the rebellion of the south.
3) The african americans pregressed by going to school, church, and running for senate and house seats, when they know how much the white people hated that the black people were geting “equal” treatment. But other than those things they had no real progresstion because of the little support funded by the whites and the federal government.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 6:15 pm
1. “Reconstruction” was not the appropriate word for the events that took place after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the end of the Civil War. The article further reinforces that statement by indicating that although slavery was “abolished”, it was still very much alive and that the results of reconstruction were less than satisfactory.
2. Although the passage of the 13th and 14th amendment assured the “freedom” of slaves, little was done to enforce these laws in the Southern states. Sure, African Americans were no longer required to work under masters, but their newly found freedom came with a price. Not only did they not have jobs or places to go, but the white Southerners resented them and refused to acknowledge that they were free. Hate groups such as the Klu Klux Klan grew prominent in the South and served to intimidate and instill fear into the black community. Due to the desperation on many, the sharecropping cycle evolved and it actually was very much like slavery. Even more, “black codes” were established to keep ex-slaves as close to slavery as possible. All in all, nothing really changed after the Civil War for blacks: they were still treated as inferior to whites.
3. Reconstruction was, for lack of better words, an epic failure. African Americans were given rights but like I said, not without a price. The blacks established schools, were given the right to vote, and even gained political importance, but thanks to those oh so bitter whites who believed in white supremacy and REDEMPTION(!), the black community suffered for their advancements. Politicians were murdered, families were killed, segragation became an issue. Since congress ruled that separation was legal as long as both blacks and whites lived under equal conditions, whites made sure to keep their distance and thus segragation lived on for more years to come.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 6:17 pm
1This article expanded my knowledge of the severity of the Reconstruction period. Prior to reading this article, I had a basic knowledge of what happened after the revolutionary war, but this greatly increased that knowledge. I learned just how many people were killed by the KKK and other horrible organizations. I found the statistics in this article to be especially informative, and the natural progression timeline helped too. By using independent dreadful events to show the impact of reconstruction on the South, John Spiller creates a very descriptive and well constructed article that conveys the message in a very direct way
Reconstruction failed African Americans in many ways but not completely. Agreed, the shift out of slavery was not a complete one, but it helped the living conditions of the former slaves greatly. While sharecropping is viewed as simply another name for slavery, it is in fact not. In a system of sharecropping, former slaves were continuously involved in a cycle of debt to the plantation owner, much like the confines of slavery. Very unlike slavery though was the freedom of choice that many sharecroppers had. Punishment was a very large difference between the sharecropping system and slavery. In slavery, the slaves could be punished at the overseer’s or master’s whim. In sharecropping, that did not so much as happen. One of the problems of the reconstruction era was the starting resources of the newly freed slaves. They had neither food nor money, neither land nor friends. The term money makes money directly applies here. With none of these resources, slaves had to enter a cycle of debt that they could never pull themselves out of. There was also no system in place to deal with these newly freed. Education in the form of schools was slow in coming, and churches had to be formed from scratch. The government’s freedman’s bureau tried to help, but not enough funding nor resources was set aside to even partially remedy the problem. Reconstruction also failed African Americans in the form of equal application of the law. “Charles Caldwell, the first black man to be found not guilty by an all-white jury of the murder of a white man” many blacks were found guilty by all white juries for crimes they did not commit, but were charged with, and convicted of, simply because of their race. “Between 1880 and 1940 it is estimated that 4,000 died this way, and it was not until 1918 that a Southern white was convicted for his part in a lynching.” In a case where a black murdered a white, the jury would be unforgiving, but in cases where whites murdered one or more blacks, it would take years for the case to go to trial. “In April 1899 more than 2,000 white Georgians, some having come by train, watched the lynching of Sam Hose near the town of Newman. His guilt had not been proven in court, but his burnt and dismembered remains were displayed in a shop window.” Heinous crimes were committed upon blacks, and were simply ignored by the justice system completely. All in all, while some portions of reconstruction were beneficial for blacks, many were malignant and possibly worse than the system of slavery.
On paper, America progressed wonderfully during this period, but in truth, the results were negligible. Blacks gained a great victory with suffrage, but in truth many never were able to vote. Black codes and “legal” poll restrictions, along with the ongoing threat of death and bodily harm from organizations such as the KKK it was not worth many people’s effort. There was some educational progression with the creation of many schools for African Americans, but many blacks remained uneducated. Once again, on paper the legal system was fixed too. With multiracial juries, and acquittals, all looked good. Below the surface though, there were serious issues. Many blacks were convicted solely on the basis of race, and winning a trial meant certain death at the hands of KKK members to many. All in all, Reconstruction, with a few exceptions, utterly failed. It created a backlash in the country that eventually led to civil rights, but at what cost.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 6:47 pm
1. This article showed that even after the civil war slavery was officially over, plantation owners and Southern whites were far from accepting the social equality of blacks. Even when several amendments to the constitution were passed, Southerners somehow found their way around the laws. Even more disappointing, was the fact that Republicans often deserted the freed slaves in exchange for political gain or because the laws were just too hard to enforce. This combined with the fact that many African Americans and Republicans were willing to accept “separate but equal” made Reconstruction largely unsuccessful, and it wasn’t until the mid to late 1900s that many of the goals of Reconstruction were actually achieved.
2. There were many ways in which Reconstruction failed African Americans. African Americans were stripped of the land given to them by General Sherman and often forced to work for plantation owners doing sharecropping. Sharecropping was only a little better than slavery, and blacks were often forced to give most of their crop to their landlords. Freed slaves were also often targeted by the KKK. One example was Jack Dupree who had his throat slit because he was too politically active. The government passed acts to try and stop this, but most frequently they were hard to enforce and were not taken seriously.
3.Even though the failures of Reconstruction are emphasized, their were also small steps towards social equality that deserve notice. For example, land projects, even some that were started by African Americans, made land more available to blacks and gave freed slaves more economic freedom. Also, there was a chance for higher education, which gave blacks opportunities at more skilled jobs. Over 600 blacks served in the legislatures of the Southern states during Reconstruction, and most of them were from the South! This was a giant change from before the civil war when most slaves and even a lot of the free blacks were illiterate.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 7:17 pm
1. This article demonstrates the concept of “Reconstruction” being little more than an unfulfilled opportunity for African American equality. It shows how “Reconstruction” ended being a chance for a racist white southern culture to rejoin the union. I learned that through the actions of certain member of the federal government America squandered its one chance to unify the nation racially, an opportunity that would not arise for another hundred years.
2. Reconstruction failed African Americans in numerous ways including socially, economically, and politically. After the initial years of the Reconstruction the south re-instituted its racist laws and practiced segregation and extreme prejudice towards African Americans. An example of infringement on African Americans rights is the passing of black codes. Though these were nullified by the federal government, southern governments contrived alternative ways of persecuting African Americans and their rights. Economically, some African Americans were able to escape the shackles of sharecropping and become financially successful, but the majority reverted to near slave status in the various sharecropping systems. Politically during the Reconstruction period African Americans did make progress such as elected senators, but after Reconstruction the Federal Government reverted to a state of white dominance. And another African American would not be elected into the senate again until 1969.
3. The extent of social progression at the end of the Reconstruction period was minute. This is due to the fact that although technically all African Americans had gained the right to vote and equal protection under the law, in actual southern society African Americans were openly opposed and refused the ability to vote. Also it was common practice in the south to develop laws that circumvented the Federal Government. Socially we progressed very little including in the south.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 7:22 pm
1. The jobs and chances for education for African-Americans grew phenomenally, though they were still quite stunted by white supremacists and the hate groups (it ed: KKK). Blacks were, at first, making great strides towards equality. However, after a spell, racists became fearful that blacks would get too much power and tightened the chains, so to speak, on their freedoms.
2. Fears of black uprisings led to riots and random acts of violence towards African-Americans, such as lynchings. The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was not enforced. Southern whites denied blacks equality in day-to-day life, like store prices or job opportunities. Panic of 1873. 1873 Slaughterhouse Cases. Jim Crow laws, “separate but equal”. The requirements for voting; it ed: the grandfather clause or the literacy test.
3. African-Americans were freed; jobs and educations were available for all (men). Blacks were allowed in politics. The third Force Act effectively took down the KKK. Blacks were allowed to marry legally, have their own names, and give evidence in court. The Freedmen’s Bureau assisted newly freed peoples. Black colleges and newspapers sprang all over the US.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 7:29 pm
1. Reconstruction brought some short-lived gains but also much turmoil for African Americans. Sharecropping was created for the benefit of newly freed slaves (but was basically slavery called by a different name) and segregation and Jim Crow Laws became a daily hardship for blacks post-war. But great advancements were also made, such as increase in black land ownership and business, higher literacy rates, and assistance in creating black institutions for higher education.
2. The institution of sharecropping failed African Americans because once they had been freed they were expecting life to be better than it had been as a slave, but many ended up in a never ending cycle of debt and labor often times for their previous master. Along with emancipation, various hate groups emerged such as the notorious Ku Klux Klan who slaughtered many blacks and were set on supressing their human rights.
3. The Freedman’s Bureau was established to create hope and provide funding for newly freed African Americans. The organization assisted in building black institutions by giving millions of dollars for schools and hospitals. The 14th and 15th amendments and the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875 were created to reassure equality to all people, including African Americans.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 7:46 pm
1. Reconstruction did bring immediate relief to some parts of America, and promised hope with the idea of freeing slaves. However, it was a one-step-forward-two-steps-back process in the fact that slaves were now abandoned to go about life with no money, food, education, and little literacy. A bit of freedom did give a glimpse of change at the beginning, however hate groups and sharecropping diminished that until the 1960’s.
2. The African Americans were still left to deal with black codes. These laws were almost near the restriction of slavery, creating limitations n blacks rights. Also, new groups spawned of black hatred: the KKK, for example.
3. Besides the drawbacks of emerging racial inequality, America socially progressed in many ways from 1860-1876. The Freedmen’s Bureau did primarily help to ease the suffering of some blacks by helping build schools, as well as hospitals. It was incredible that the Freedmen’s bureau could overcome the challenges of creating such a program during this time in American history.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 7:50 pm
1. When thinking of reconstruction, the word carries the connotation of hope, and better things for the future. However, as this article shows, reconstruction did not meet that definition. Though blacks were legally free, they still face oppression every day because of things such as the sharecropping agreements that basically trapped African Americans in to a continuous and binding labor force, very similar to slavery. They also faced the same adversity and racism. The word reconstruction, as this article shows, was a lot of false hope. It was the opportune time for the government to bring the Union together, but it failed.
2. As I said in my first answer, one of the biggest has to be sharecropping. These former slaves are being released, but they have nowhere to go, no way to make money. The Reconstruction faze should have definitely addressed that. You can’t just free thousands of people and then allow them no where to go. The only thing they could turn to was sharecropping, which was almost as bad as slavery. Also, the government should have done more to stop all of the prejudices that were committed against African Americans, such as the Black Codes, and hate groups such as the KKK and others. The stigma that continued to follow African Americans, and how society ostracized them should have also been addressed.
3. Initially, there was a certain amount of hope, because Lincoln truly did have the desire and ability to bring the country back together. However, once he was assassinated and Andrew Johnson came into power things began to go down hill. While there were things such as the Freedmen’s Bureau, they were not refunded, and did not do as much good as they potentially could have because Johnson put an end to them. While African Americans were not truly acknowledged as equals, socially they did make strides in that they could own property and be members of political parties. Socially, the society did slowly progress to become a bit more tolerant and African Americans did get some prestigious jobs. This seemed fleeting though, because by 1900 there was only one black congressman left. In this period, there were social strides made, but not nearly enough as what could or should have happened.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 8:02 pm
1.Although the goals of Reconstruction were to rebuild the Union, the results fell short of success. The failed Reconstruction left former slaves to poor work and education opportunities, and showed a blatant disregard for their civil rights, highlighting the still-prominent white supremacist world view. Not nearly enough emphasis was put on repairing the Southern economy, leading into the panic of 1873 and a heavily damaged Southern economy. Sectionalism ran deeper than ever; Congress suffered its own power struggles between two opposing political parties, and the legislative war against the executive branch rendered nearly all attempts at reconstruction ineffective. In addition, rather than unifying the nation, the open hatred between the black and white racial groups reached a greater intensity.
2.Both economically and socially, Reconstruction failed to provide a means to make a living for the newly freed, resulting in a relapse into a system much like that of slavery. Sharecropping was common in the plantations of the South and kept former slaves in a cycle of poverty, remaining permanently in debt and never having a chance to own their own land. The Reconstruction also failed to integrate African Americans into white society. Racism was still prominent, and hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan were established and had a hand in the thousands of blacks murdered. Black Codes severely limited the rights of former slaves, holding them in a position inferior to the white population. Although Congress attempted to protect these rights, civil rights were almost never enforced, and even these congressional decisions were later undermined by the Supreme Court. The Reconstruction had aimed for equality of whites and blacks, but segregation and discrimination were the outcomes.
3.Although few and far between, there were cases of social progress during Reconstruction. The Freedmen’s Bureau greatly assisted the blacks in creating a new life, including building schools and colleges, and raising the rate of literacy among former slaves. There was an increase in black churches, and an involvement in court, as seen in racially-mixed juries in the South. Blacks were also allowed to marry, have their own names, and testify in court.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 8:20 pm
1. Before reading this article my knowledge of the Reconstruction era was quite vague and I had believed that it was successful, this really wasn’t true. Though the slaves were freed they had nowhere to go and were left to fend for themselves. This resulted in sharecropping which was just as bad or worse than slavery itself. However, since they were freed, African Americans had more rights then before and mad some advancements. Their literacy rates went up, more had jobs, more owned land, and education became very important. Some complained that the schools were segregated but they collectively agreed that a segregated school was better than no school or education at all.
2. From the moment they were free African Americans were failed because once free they had nowhere to go, no job and no money. This led them into the false hope of farming “their own” land through sharecropping which landed them in a cycle of debt that was nearly impossible to pay off. They were also cheated out of voting, for example the grandfather clause. There were also groups who literally hunted them down and lynched or beat them and who tried to suppress their rights. Most infamously known was the Ku Klux Klan.
3. They made progress with the establishment of the Freedman’s bureau which helped in giving large sums of money to black schools. Therefore more schools and colleges were built. They were allowed to marry, and hold political positions. After not too long there were many African American newspapers all over the country as well.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 8:24 pm
1. This made it clear that Reconstruction was a great opportunity wasted. African Americans became free but they were still not allowed equal opportunities in education, work, and basic human rights were not granted. This helped me understand that Reconstruction did not go as planned because even though there were people who were genuinely concerned with helping the African Americans, the opposition against this help was even larger.
2. After Abe Lincoln’s death, everything went downhill for African Americans; new black codes were in place that reconstructed blacks from doing almost anything that benefitted them. Hate groups lashed out at African Americans such as the KKK, lynching became common and the government did little to nothing to actually stop these attacks of discrimination. Land rights gained right after the war were eventually removed, to be replaced the sharecropping system.
3. African Americans could now join political bodies as representatives, and many of them did join. Economically, some former slaves made a living for them with the land that they were used to not allowed to own. African American entertainers, musicians and writers started to become more accepted.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 8:28 pm
1. This article highlights both the progress, both positive and negative, of the Reconstruction era. What boosted my understanding most was the contrast of attempts to forward society via organizations, amendments, or laws and the reality of what was accomplished because the federal government couldn’t stay strong until the end. After passing a law/supporting an organization, an opposing organization (or individual states) would find a way to undo what progress had been made. This can be seen through the 14th and 15th amendments (and Slaughterhouse cases), the Black Codes, and the land redistribution headed by General Sherman.
2. Reconstruction failed African Americans in that they would dangle freedom, hope, and independence in front of their faces, then snatch it away.In addition to leaving them to fend for themselves in an economic and social world, the government also failed to adequately protect ex-slaves from discrimination as well as terrorism. The extent of this terrorism is explained in the article, “184 blacks were lynched in 1885, and in 1915 the figure was still as high as 69. By 1908 the trade in postcards depicting lynching scenes was so popular that the US postmaster-general banned them from the mail.” Another way Reconstruction failed the African Americans was the lack of ability to follow through on legislation. “In the 1873 Slaughterhouse cases the Supreme Court decreed that the ‘privileges and immunities’ clause of the 14th Amendment did not protect state citizenship rights which were so defined as to include all civil rights, but only the narrow group of rights flowing from national citizenship. In the 1875 case ‘US v Cruikshank’ the Court determined that the 14th Amendment protected the rights and privileges of the citizen only when they were infringed by the action of a state.”
3. Society progressed because the thought given to Reconstruction yielded partial results. Some freedmen did get land in the West because of the Homestead Act of 1862. Military service also boosted male rank and opportunity in politics. Although women’s rights were lowered within the African American community, African American men held positions as doctors, teachers, writers, and ministers. Reconstruction also boosted black businesses because they were discriminated at other locations.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 8:34 pm
1. This helped me learn more about the Reconstruction Era by providing information I had not previously known to let me think about and by further elucidating some key points.
2. Reconstruction failed African Americans in that it failed to enforce what it attempted to address. While initially, it did try to enforce the new regulations with brute force, this only served to antagonize the South when troops actively barred individuals from the polls (~pg 5). When troops left, it allowed Southerners to react violently to the increased African American political activity. In both cases, Reconstruction utterly failed African Americans.
3. America effectively did not socially progress between 1860 and 1876. While initially, the Freedmen’s Bureau and US Army were able to collectively enable black, this was mostly because the US Army and more guns. After the army left, everything went straight backwards, given Johnson’s resistance and low-Republican morale, as well as no regulatory powers in general.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 8:41 pm
1. How does this article increase your understanding of the effects of Reconstruction?
-Reconstruction in America shows us that there was an opportunity for equal rights for all citizens many years before the Civil Rights Movement of 1955. The results of this process consisted of male suffrage, women’s property rights, and also equal but separate circumstances. The government was getting closer and closer to all citizens being equal under the law, but due to “complications” America settled for less than what was right.
2. In what ways did Reconstruction fail African-Americans? Give specific examples from text.
-Freed slaves were given their independence, but were not given enough means to flourish on in a free nation. Half of the nation were completely against their existence as equals, and made sure they felt it through hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.
3. In what ways did America socially progress from 1860-1876?
-They became politically involved, and even though everything was equal but segregated, accommodations were at least seen as equal.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 8:42 pm
1. this article expanded on the basic knowledge I already had know about the reconstruction era. It showed how sadly the reconstruction failed with the internal conflict in the government, as well as utter lack of enforcement of laws meant to bring freedom and equality to all. It showed how, though the slaves were free, they were very limited in there options. They had nothing, and often had to work for the people that had previously owned them. this was often worse than slavery itself. There were some advances in things such as voting rights, but they were rare, and often were outrightly ignored by the previous slaveowners
2.African-Americans were almost completely failed by the reconstruction. They had no job, no money, nowhere to go, and were often separated from the rest of their family. They were forced to go to sharecropping, which was very similar to slavery. however, This was a false hope, as it often led them into more debt than before. It also failed to get equality for African-Americans. they were constantly discriminated against by the previous slave owners, and groups such as the ku klux klan formed to organize this discrimination. they were legally allowed to vote, but things such as the grandfather clause, the literary test, and poll taxes prohibited their voting. The supreme court even said that segregation was allowed, as long as the facilities were equal(they generally weren’t) Overall reconstruction failed African-Americans in just about every aspect.
3. There was social progression during the reconstruction era, but it was not as prominent as it should have been had the reconstruction succeeded. The passage of the 13th,14th, and 15th amendment were supposed to increase the rights of African Americans. There were also organizations created to aid African-Americans in establishing a new, sustainable life for themselves. They gained the right to marry, hold political positions, and many African-Americans got an education
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 8:53 pm
1. This article provides a detailed explanation of the effects of Reconstruction on African Americans. It tells how Reconstruction dramatically changed their lives by emancipating them from slavery. It also tells of the failings of Reconstruction, and how Reconstruction left African Americans in a hostile environment where they were treated as inferior to whites.
2. Reconstruction failed to make African Americans economically independent of the former slaver owners or to make African Americans socially equal to whites.
3. From 1860-1876, America changed from a slave-society to a nation in which people of all races were, to a limited extent, equal. Though it would take another century for this to fully become the case in many ways, the change in this time period was the most dramatic. Millions of people literally went from slavery to freedom.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 8:57 pm
1.) This article really clarified, in my mind, that reconstruction was more like re-destruction. Reconstruction portrayed a vision of peace and equality for blacks with major improvements in their treatment, equal rights, imporved jobs, and education. The reality of this vision was shortlived. Soon after it started it gave false hopes of equal rights to many uneducated blacks, who could be taken advantage of easily, and make them believe that they were expanding into new horizons.
2.) Reconstruction, in most cases, failed African Americans. While freedom and prosperity was promised, a miniscule amount of both were achieved while a share-cropping, Jim Crow infested south took ahold of the newly freed African Americans. It also started a trend of terrorism against blacks with groups like the KKK. Slaughterhouse cases brought to the supreme court also degraded the blacks further by stating that equal, but seperate ammenities were legal.
3.) The politics of the country did change during this time. Freed African Americans could now vote, own land (Homestead Act 1862, Southern Homestead Act 1866 ), and run for public office. Although many blacks lived in poverty due to the declining economy and the sharecropping system, some enrolled in college and became doctors and teachers and other such jobs
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 9:08 pm
1. Even though “Reconstruction” normally makes me think of a period of rebuilding and healing, that’s not what really happened during and after the Civil War. Slaves had been freed, but with nowhere to go and no significant connections. The government had an opportunity to really enforce laws that should have taken precedence a long time ago, but they lost the chance and so it took the South and African Americans a long time to rebuild their respective communities.
2. Reconstruction had the potential to be extremely beneficial to the newly-freed African American community, but because of black codes enforced in the South and action not being taken quickly enough to stop these codes from being effective, the people were roped into contracts and were basically forced into slavery all over again. The freed people were extremely poor, had no homes and no education, so what choice did they have but to make extremely binding contracts with white people?
3. America socially progressed in that it eventually decreed universal male suffrage no matter what race (excluding Native Americans of course), but no without cost to the black men. Yes, they could build school and churches and the like, but with segregation a heady issue, not much by way of advancement came for the free African Americans.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 9:17 pm
1.this article showed me in my mind that the reconstruction after the civil war was for the most part a failure. however it did accomplish a few things such as the 14th and 15th amendment. even with these contributions the downside was much greater because it created terror, started segregation and casued corruption.
2.Reconstruction in theory should have benifitted African americans however it caused the southern democrats to think outside the box to surpress them. southerners used the sharecrop system, black codes, jim crowe laws and segregation to turn reconstruction against African AMericans and utterly failing the African AMerican society.
3.from the civil war to the end of reconstruction there was some progress made however it was not as great as poeple would have liked. Amendments were passed however southern hate and corruption denied anymore progress. the progress can be summed up as a few amendments and voting rights and freedom if you can call it that but nothing more.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 9:36 pm
1) The article went in more depth about each section of the Reconstruction period. I thought it kind of opened up a next view on the subject.
2) I think quoting is the easy way to explain this:
In 1866 the ‘Ku Klux Klan’ was established in Tennessee. It possibly contained over half a million members at its peak, and aimed to intimidate blacks and white collaborators, and to limit blacks’ educational opportunities, economic progress, voting rights and their bearing of arms.
Right when you would think the United States was making a dent of progress the KKK almost ruins everything by causing a social scare across the country
3) Going from complete slavery to segratation is very good for the South. Since the Civil War completely destroyed them and they blamed the African-Americans for the war, letting African-Americans have some rights there.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 9:37 pm
1. This article helped me understand that Reconstruction, although it did have small successes, the overall outcome was not a success. The African Americans were freed for slavery, but after they were freed they really didn’t have anywhere to go or anything to do. They didn’t have jobs or land. The government did little to help the hundreds of thousands of freed slaves. Overall Reconstruction was a failure on the part of trying to reach eqaulity for blacks.
2.Reconstruction failed African Americans on many different levels, politically, economically, and socially. The main problem, or obstacle that led to the failure were the installment of the black codes, which limited the rights of blacks and kept them as close to slavery as possible. Also the institution of sharecropping left the blacks in a constant state of debt which they could never get out of. The freed slaves were also being hunted down by the KKK, which was a white supremist group.
3. The progression of America during this time was very slight. African Americans were freed from slavery and given a few rights, but they were no where near equal to whites. Blacks were able to open schools and churches, but they had very llittle money to do so. But the overall advancement of the nation as a whole during this time was not the progress that was needed to enhance the nation.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 9:51 pm
1. The article helped me put the order or events of Reconstruction in context and in sequence. It also provided an array of evidence that Reconstruction failed to cater to the newly freed men and was a transgression in society. History proves that these men didn’t die to free african americans rather that they died to keep the union together.
2. The better question would be in what ways did it not fail African Americans? The dream of true freedom was there and available but nobody had the strength or stamina to enforce the well wishes of the northerners. After the freeing of slaves their lives became arguably no better. Societies like the KKK organized violence and discrimination and fear on these people and the were essentially slaves to society and could never without the help of a white person succeed in there dreams. Even after the War that was supposed to create this huge change they still had so many obstacles they couldn’t control. Tough is an understatement.
3. You mean regress? I guess progression would be quantified in the 14th and 15th amendments and “radical legislation” passed by the republicans but true progression doesn’t really happen until the 1960’s.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 9:56 pm
1. Although the Reconstruction Period is thought of as a time of rebuilding and the pursuit of equality, discrimination still prevailed. African Americans were released from slavery, but were left with nowhere to go. They were not given equal rights, education, or job opportunities.
2. At first, Reconstruction seemed to be the solution to discrimination in America, but it turned out that it actually caused more problems to arise. Hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan emerged and lynching became common. The government did not use its power to stop these lynchings. President Johnson allowed Confederate leaders back into Congress and allowed states to establish Black Codes. Many African Americans were forced to return to plantations because they could not find other jobs.
3. After the end of the Civil War, it seemed that Lincoln was going to use his power to end the discrimination against African Americans. However, after his assassination, it did not seem as likely for that to happen. President Johnson was a white supremicist and he stopped any progress that was being made.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 10:01 pm
1. This article helped to illustrate how the U.S. had a chance to change the African Americans place in society, but it was a complicated issue and as a result reconstruction became a colossal failure.
2. Reconstruction caused more hatred toward African Americans because of hate groups that formed such as the KKK. Politicians turned a blind eye to the state governments in the South undermining pro-African American laws and Constitutional ammendments such as in the case of voting.
3. The most obvious example of social progress starting in 1860 is universal male suffrage. Another is increased educational opportunities and the freedom for African Americans to move about the country as they pleased.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 10:01 pm
Max Housby
1.This Article increased my understanding of the effects of “Reconstruction”. Many African-Americans believed that “Reconstruction” would help them after they were released from slavery. At the start Reconstruction was promising, but it quickly turned sour for all the African-Americans. They were promised equality but this quickly diminished leaving African-Americans under the feet of “Whites” once again. African-Americans were also left with very few job opportunities, and many wound up working in conditions almost identical to that of slavery.
2. Reconstruction was a failure to African-Americans in many ways. Abraham Lincoln had promised the slaves equal freedom and equality under the law, but this all collapsed when Lincoln was assassinated. Now a Southern leader named Andrew Johnson took office. Johnson was very lenient upon Confederate Leaders and pardoned many of them. Johnson passed “Black Codes” which were intended to lessen the rights that the African-Americans had just gained. Congress also urged President Johnson to sign the Civil Rights Bill, but Johnson vetoed it. Johnson also watched segregation grow, yet he did not help the African-Americans.
3. The man social progress was the freedom of African-Americans from slavery, but they were not granted the equality that they were promised. Many blacks were pressed to find a job, but it was nearly impossible because they had very few job opportunities. Segregation was a major issue for an African-American and it would be for many more years.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 10:08 pm
1. At first I thought reconstruction had a positive impact on the post-war society, however after reading this article I realized that it actually had an equally negative impact on African Americans equality within society. Voting rights, Jim Crow laws, and arguments over the 14th and 15th amendments resulted from the act of reconstruction. What was supposed to be a positive era for all ended up having the reverse effect on African Americans and their equal rights.
2. The reconstruction act had more of a negative overall impact on African Americans in many ways. The Homestead Act of 1866 set aside land for African Americans, however the land was poor quality and the former slaves did not have the income to invest in equipment used for tending the land. Black codes were another result of reconstruction, they restricted their legal status and allowed them not to vote or hold office. Jim Crow Laws set the basis for segregation between blacks and whites, making African Americans have their own bus seats, hotel rooms, cemeteries, etc. After awhile segregation was normal post-reconstruction and blacks were used to the fact of not having the same equality rights as whites.
3. America progressed socially by having blacks hold office, become literate, and being included to a certain extent within society. Blacks also progressed economically by improving their overall living conditions despite segregation. America progressed not only in a positive way, but also in a negative way. Hate groups emerged, racial segregation was enforced, and blacks were seen as inferior to society. These changes that occurred were not enough to enhance our nation as hoped.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 10:08 pm
1. This article focuses on what happened to all the slaves and freedmen during this period whereas a lot of the information in the book is about how this affects the North and South and what they are going to do to bring themselves back together as the United States.
2. One thing is working conditions. The majority ended up working with white farmers, sometimes even their original owners, in sharecropping and through the crop-lien system. Anther way is the constant discrimination thrown at the African Americans. Although the 14th and 15th amendments were supposed to protect them from this, it was never enforced.
3. The biggest thing was the fact that we actually got rid of slavery and attempted to integrate them into society. Even though we didn’t completely succeed on that aspect, at least we tried and kept trying up until they were really and truly free approximately 100 years later.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 10:20 pm
1. The reconstruction process made me realize that even though the slaves had been freed they were still a long way from racial equality in the south.
2. I believe the reconstruction failed the african americans because of such things as the ku klux klan because even though the radical republicans were calling for racial equality the ku klux klan showed pretty much the opposite. another part of the failure was the passing of black codes that restricted the afican americans and pretty much left them to work in fields as pretty much slaves
3. The US had come along way socially by the emancipation of the slaves which started the first part of the long trail of civil rights
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 10:26 pm
1. The article shows how through social, political, and economic progress reconstruction for the black society failed. The article also explains how constitutional amendments and civil rights acts were certainly a major step to the goal of complete reconstruction, but how the ideas collapsed because a a failure of enforcement.
2. The top way in which reconstruction failed african americans was through the lack of enforcement. One example of this was the Black Codes. The Black codes continued to “restrict their(blacks) legal status.” this is a huge failure for the African Americans because in federal law they were protected but in their states they had basically no rights. it was not until a year later that the federal government was able to suspend these state laws. Yet another example of the failure to enforce was in the Civil Rights Act of 1875, while guaranteeing equal rights in public places, the law its self did not even cover schools.one final example of the African American failed reconstruction was in the continual Supreme court decisions placing equality on the back burner. On such example was in the “privileges and immunities” clause.
3. We see social progression through the Freedmen’s bureau, the 14th and 15th amendments, and civil right acts. Even after looking at how the previous listed effected social life one realizes that the social progress was not very strong.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 10:30 pm
1. This article shows the hidden meaning behind the so-called “Reconstruction” of America. It shows how blacks were left with no where to go after Emancipation except turning right back around to their masters. It also shows how the South’s old Confederate leaders would not go away quietly with groups such as the KKK raising terror.
2. Reconstruction was a perfect situation for African Americans to demand their rights and become a part of American society as equals. Instead, these opportunities were short lived and were often denied by a society still not willing to accept African Americans as equals. An example that John Spiller uses is how segregation had become completely normal back then, even though entertainers, musicians, and writers had become much more widely accepted. African Americans were also failed by Reconstruction because it left them as targets to hate groups such as the KKK.
3. Even though we may not see it as a big deal today, there were huge progressions in American society during the 1860’s and 1870’s. An example would have to be Universal male suffrage where all men, regardless of color, could vote. Even though segregation had become normal during the 1860’s and 70’s, it was still a huge step to have things have to be equal if they were going to be separate. This time period also saw African Americans take advantage of opportunities to get an education and to influence their government by running for political races.
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 11:08 pm
1) The idea Reconstruction had a good intension but was unsuccessful towards the genuine freedom of slaves. African Americans were set free, but ultimately were not free because they lacked the rights needed to support themselves on their own.
2) reconstruction failed the African-American community because although there were laws protecting the ex-slaves, the constitution was unable to protect them from hate groups such as the klu klux klan. they ex-slaves were unable to live comfortable, safe, and fair lives for a long period of time.
3)america showed a small amount of progression during the period of 1860 to 1876, although blacks had more rights, there was an unexceptable amount of agression shown towards blacks and equality was still far out of the picture.
on Feb 2nd, 2010 at 4:43 am
1. How does this article increase your understanding of the effects of Reconstruction?
For me I guess it sorta reiterates all the things we went over in class. when i read this after hearing a lot about it, it inforces what we talked about. I knew reconstruction had a lot to do with a sort of rebuilding our nation after ending slavery but this article showed me in more detail how it affectd african amaricans. This article helped me understand more of the political backround, telling me when the first african americans were elected into the senate/house.
2. In what ways did Reconstruction fail African-Americans? Give specific examples from text.
Some of the fails during reconstruction were things like the black codes, racial discrimination groups, and just the overall not enforcement.
The black codes made sure that even though in the federal law, these specific states would still keep you more of a subservant being.
Racial descrimination groups proved that there will always be tension between some people for “silly” reasons such as skin color. This was a major frustration for african americans because they had to be careful who they messed with and what they did, always watching out.
3. In what ways did America socially progress from 1860-1876?
Society didnt change as much as congress and amendments. Even though there was the 14,15 amendment, it wasnt enforced, people didnt have to care, i doubt some people even knew about them. But some of the southern people joined in and tried to move forword. This “progress” brought a lot of tension between different groups, former slave owners-newly freed, radical republicans-conservative repub., and still some north-south. Allthough America did progress in getting those amendments passed and electing it’s first african american leaders and house/senate members.
on Feb 2nd, 2010 at 5:00 am
1. The article is a more focused version of what happen to the freed slaves. It highlighted what was hoped for, but also showed why those plans failed. The article also shows three different views of the progression during Reconstruction.
2. Reconstruction failed for African-Americans because laws that were supposed to protect freed slaves were not enforced. The free people were not treated as members of society and were not able to live like ‘normal’ citizens for years, mostly because of groups like the Klu Klux Klan. The African-Americans may have been considered ‘free’, but they still lived just as they did before emancipation.
3. Between 1860 and 1876, America made huge jumps in social progression. Slavery was abolished and parts of the United States actually tried to let the freed slaves live normally among society. Even though the South wanted to prevent this in every way possible, the African-Americans still integrated into the freed population. African-Americans were also able to be voted into office and they were, most coming from the South.
on Feb 2nd, 2010 at 6:48 am
3.Slavery was abolished, and slaves and other minorities learned they had rights too, sparking civil rights activism. Also, this era tried to do politically what had never been tried before, i.e. African Americans voted into office, increased rights for women.
2. Although the Reconstruction tried to make African-Americans equal under the law, Supreme Court decisions prevented this from happening. The Ku Klux Klan was able to do what they want, while African-Americans were unable to defend their rights.
1. It is sort of what we learned in class, but more personal with actual people and more details.
on Feb 2nd, 2010 at 8:23 am
1) After reading this article, my understanding of the effects of reconstruction was increased. It reinforced what I had previously learned, that during the time of Reconstruction a lot of attention turned to civil rights, increasing the rights of women and African Americans. The article showed the ups and downs of the era, and it helped me to understand the good and bad parts of Reconstruction.
2)There were many hate groups formed, including the KKK, that made life for African Americans dangerous and fearful. Although slavery was abolished, former slaves still had many restrictions placed upon them because of the Black Codes. From the economic perspective, African Americans could never get ahead with the method of sharecropping.
3) From 1860-1876, there was massive social progression. The country went from accepting and practicing slavery to allowing African Americans to be free and even take political office. Although predjudice existed, and probably still exists today, people started to accept African Americans into the society.
on Feb 2nd, 2010 at 8:58 pm
1. After reading these articles my knowledge and understanding was furthered. It helped show that a lot of time during Reconstruction was spent on civil rights and womens rights.
2. THe formation of the KKK made it very dangerous for African Americans to go anywhere. Black codes made it near impossible for former slaves to do whatever they please.
3. The main social change between 1860 and 1876 was that of slavery. It went from being a way of life to being abolished. There were still many hate crimes against them but a lot of White Americans learned to accept African Americans to be free and take place in the community.
on Feb 2nd, 2010 at 9:55 pm
1. The article not only furthered my knowledge but re-cemented some of what we learned in class into my mind. I did not realize how close America was to reaching equality for blacks and even for women at the time. it also put in perspective how terribly America failed.
2. Although the reconstruction period was an ideal time to give blacks equality, ended up leading to segregation. President Johnson, a previous southern-slave holder himself, and most of the south did their very best to restrict blacks’ rights. Black codes and southern hate groups such as the KKK persecuted and restricted the rights of the newly freed blacks wherever they went and without a president willing to fight against the issue, blacks suffered possibly greater than when they were slaves. The process of sharecropping and the poverty cycle associated with that gave no help to the blacks either.
3. The greatest change was the end of slavery followed by rights being given to blacks. Unfortunately blacks’ idea of freedom differed from whites’ and ended in a segregated society. Also the South was in a state of economic chaos, having their main workforce freed, and their town, cities, and crops destroyed from the Civil war.