We all know that the DBQ will be on this so I decided to give you all some pointers on what to write/ponder.
The Reconstruction Era, lasting around fourteen years, overall was a success. Unfortunately, when you look at the specifics of it, the reconstruction of the South can appear to be a failure. It was a success in that it brought the South back into the country and the slave were freed for real this time. The thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments protected long awaited rights for the freed blacks, including voting rights and citizenship. While this may make it seem like everything was suddenly awesome for free blacks, this is not the case. Southerns weren’t happy with the sudden upgrade for their former slaves and found many ways to get around dealing with it. Such organizations that oppressed black rights included the Ku Klux Klan and the White League. This was during the time of Jim Crow Segregation, which lead to unfair disadvantages for freedmen and a lack of opportunities for them in the work place. Another point to think about is how reconstruction ended. Southerners were fed up with the constant nagging from the north on what they should do regarding their diverse population and the North was bored of do it. In the end, black rights’ issues were set aside to allow the North and the South to focus on coming back together. It is up to you to decide which you want to argue for, success or failure, as there are evidence to back both arguments. I personally believe that which ever you decide to be the “right” answer can potentially be proven plausible:)
I also think its important to note that the rights given to freedmen under the 15th Amendment (that they could vote) was almost entirely stripped from them due to threats of violence from groups like the KKK and also through measures such as false literacy tests and poll taxes. Voting, which was a huge step in the right direction, was really discouraged. I personally view reconstruction (at least based on my current knowledge) as being a failure because freedmen were so ineffectively assimilated into society.
ReplyDeleteAlong with oppressive measures like the KKK, the South also found a way to "replace" slavery. Since plantation owners still needed people to work their land, the system of sharecropping developed. Freedmen would be giving a plot of land on the plantation to work and live off of. Yet since the newly freed blacks did not have any resources (like tools or seed) to work the land, the landowners would give them the needed tools in exchange for the crop. This kept the freedmen basically enslaved to the plantation owners because of their constant debt. This was just another one of the ways the South managed to get around the dealing with the affects the abolition of slavery would have on their lives and economy.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that Reconstruction was not successful, as it did not truly result in resolving sectional issues. The refusal of the South to recognize the rights of freedmen, and the developing of the sharecropper system which was very similar to slavery, ensured that Blacks remained second class citizens. The ability of the South to get around laws like the 15th Amendment, which said suffrage could not be denied on the basis of race, color, or previous servitude, antagonized people in the North, further enflaming sectional differences. Like Rebecca said, freedmen were not assimilated into society, and this led to differences between the North and South not being fully resolved. Thus, I believe reconstruction failed, however, I can see how one may argue differently, like Jenna said.
ReplyDeleteI believe that overall, Reconstruction was a success because it brought the North and South together. Blacks were also freed from the binds of slavery, and although they didn't truly receive rights until the 1960's during the Civil Rights movement, it would not have truly been possible for them to become equal to whites during Reconstruction. Although they were granted rights in the 13-15th amendments, it would have been impossible to change white people's perception of blacks in such a small period of time, so for what it could have done, Reconstruction was successful.
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