American reconstruction Essay Example For Students

American reconstruction Essay In the Spring of 1865, the Civil war was finally brought to an end. The five years of war was the nations most devastating and wrenching experience. Although the Union was saved and slavery had ended, the South being defeated and occupied by union forces was ruined and in a state of disaster. Public structures, private homes, and farm buildings had been burnt, rail road tracks uprooted, cotton gins wrecked, and the earth scorched in many sections of the defeated land. The nations next task was to rebuild the ruined South and the governments plan to do this is known as Reconstruction. There were numerous laws that specifically took away slaves rights asmen. Slaves also feared the whip and even death if they were to act outagainst their owners. The Declaration of Independence did not apply tomany groups and the black race was one of those excluded groups. Wehold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,that their Creator with certain unalienable Rights endows them,Those among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Thomas Jefferson, having slaves himself, recognized the fact that he could not free the slaves himself in that document. It was difficult enough for him to get the Declaration approved by all of the colonies in itself. In fact the last man to sign the Declaration of Independence did not do so until the year 1778. The slaves were kept in ignorance of any knowledge, which might have led to their freedom. Laws forbade reading and writing for slaves. They also forbade anyone to teach a slave to read. To keep the slaves o bedient, slaveholders often made an example of a slave by beating him with the cow skin, or even killing him. Most people in the north felt differently however. These peoplewere called the abolitionists, and they were dedicated to freeing theslaves. The southern states, strongly disagreed with their views andbroke away from the Union to form the Confederate states. Theirdivision led to the Civil War, resulting in freedom for the slaves. And by virtue of the power and for the purpose aforesaid, I do orderthat all persons held as slaves within said designated States and partsof States are, and henceforward shall be, free; and that the ExecutiveGovernment of the United States, including the military and navalauthorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of saidpersons.The Emancipation Proclamation that Lincoln wrote was a large steptowards the equality of black men and women. It spurred theReconstruction era that was so vital to black rights movement. TheReconstruction period brought new laws, giving black people the right to own land, and black men the right to vote. It was now amended in theConstitution. While the whites still found ways around these lawshowever, the black people were still better off than they once were. Some states enforced a Black Code, which forbade a black man the rightto vote if he could not read. This was somewhat effective for thesouthern whites in blocking the black vote, since the blacks wereforbidden to learn to read while they were enslaved. With the new blackfreedom, came organizations against their freedom. The KKK, or Ku KluxKlan, was responsible for many black murders. The cult would often madean example of a black man if he were very outspoken and loud. Theywould hang a black man in the most popular tree in town as to make sureeveryone got the message. Reconstruction brought education to theblacks, but it also brought segregation. Blacks had to use separateschools, buses, and public facilities. Although use of these facilitieswas far better than slavery, blacks still deserved the same rights aseveryone else. With ever increasing segregation, it was only a matterof time before blacks would demand equal rights, and that is whatspawned the civil rights movements. Evolutionism Vs Creationism EssayThe civil rights movement in the 60^s was a major event in U.S. History for men and women, black or white. Without the ReconstructionPeriod, however, Michigan State University might be an all blackSegregated school. Blacks had the right to ride in the front of thebuses, drink out of the same drinking fountains, and go to school withtheir white neighbor. After the civil rights laws were enacted,military personnel were sometimes needed to protect the black childrengoing to school. Affirmative action ensured fair employment practices. The civil rights movement was undeniably the pivotal point in thiscountries history for social equality. What our forefathers fought for in the American Revolution wasfreedom form British rule. The Civil War was fought mainly for thefreedom of slave owner rule. At some point in between those twoperiods America forgot what it was like to be ruled without choice. Today, after the civil rights laws, the U.S. seems to be a moreharmonious place to live. We must see that the past does not repeatitself, while we must also ensure that we are ever striving to improveour way of life. Revolution only the stepping-stone to the ideals that we live by today.