While Reconstruction was a period that saw dramatic changes in policy-making, it is generally regarded as a failure by historians. While the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments abolished slavery and clearly defined citizenship rights for all Americans, its scope gradually diminished to the point that blacks' legal status in the South was virtually the same as it was in the antebellum period (if not worse).
Why does Reconstruction seem so promising at first, only to fail a decade later? What were the forces both driving Reconstruction policies as well as resisting them? In your opinion, did any of the Reconstruction policies have a hidden agenda? If so, what was it?
The goal for Reconstruction was to get the South back into the Union and unite the economic system existed in both the South and the North, but during the process, there was a conflict already existed in the Congress, I think the conflict was weather to compromise slavery with the South or totally destroy slavery. Obviously Lincoln and Johnson had different opinions from the Congress. That was the reason why Reconstruction fail a decade later. There were forces both driving Reconstruction policies as well as resisting them, which I believe was the Congress. After Johnson launched the new policy, the Congress soon resisted it and launched a new policy, which enraged people who had racism, but it was actually effective.
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After reading this I feel the goal for reconstruction was to get the North and the South together in the union. When the Civil War ended, leaders turned to the question of how to reconstruct the nation. One important issue was the right to vote. Hotly debated were rights of black American men and former Confederate men to vote. In the latter half of the 1860s, Congress passed a series of acts designed to address the question of rights, as well as how the Southern states would be governed. These acts included the act creating the Freedmen's Bureau, the Civil Rights Act of 1866, and several Reconstruction Acts. The Reconstruction Acts established military rule over Southern states until new governments could be formed. They also limited some former Confederate officials' and military officers' rights to vote and to run for public office. (However, the latter provisions were only temporary and soon rescinded for almost all of those affected by them.) Meanwhile, the Reconstruction acts gave former male slaves the right to vote and hold public office.
ReplyDeleteReconstruction seemed promising at first because after the Civil War, both the North and the South had immeasurable damage and reconstruction was supposed to fix that. Reconstruction failed a decade later because it was mismanaged. The forces that drove reconstruction policies were the drive to bring the country back together. The problem with reconstruction, was that it raised political and constitutional questions such as the fact that, “radical republicans were not entirely pleased with Lincoln’s leniency toward the South.” I believe that the Wade-Davis bill did not necessarily have a hidden agenda rather it pushed the agenda of the Radical Republicans. It differed from Lincoln’s policy in two main respects, “ it required a majority rather than one tenth of the voters to swear loyalty, also, it denied all former confederate officials the privilege of voting and participating in the new government.” According to the law when congress finally submitted the constitutional amendment that abolished slavery, “Lincoln had gone ahead and recognized four former confederate states as reconstructed according to his own policy,” further promoting his own agenda. Another policy that I found had a hidden agenda was, the Freedmen’s Bureau that provided cheap labor from “free” slaves continuing the vicious cycle of slavery.
ReplyDeleteI think that a lot of people were happy about the Reconstruction program at first, because it reunited the South and the North very quickly. People felt as if the United would be complete again. But at the same time, while the governments of the southern states agreed in the 10% plan that Abraham Lincoln had made to make it easy to reunite the States, the people in the Southern States didn't feel like reuniting with the Union. The gap between south and north remained. Reconstruction also failed in reconstruct the Southern Economy and giving African Americans equal rights. Examples like the death of Till Emment, decades after the reconstruction, show us that Blacks were not socialized at all.
ReplyDeleteAt first reconstruction seems promising because there are many goals set forth for the country that they want to acheive. Many people wanted to make a difference so there would never be the result of war again, although it seemed to be too soon. With the reconstruction policies put in place this made it much harder to try to rebuild the country as a whole when it never was never whole to begin with. Also even though the war was over this does not mean there were still hidden rascist groups. There might have been some hidden agenda under reconstruction, although very subtle, such as people putting forth an idea against segregation. Policies would not have been put in place if there was no reason or underlying reason.
ReplyDeleteI think that a lot of people were happy about the Reconstruction program at first, because it reunited the South and the North very quickly. People felt as if the United would be complete again. But in the same time, while the governments of the southern states agreed in the 10% plan that Abraham Lincoln had made to make it easy to reunite the States, the people in the Southern States didn't felt at all like reuniting with the Union. The gap between south and north remained. And reconstruction also failed in reconstruct the Southern Economy and giving African Americans equal rights. Examples like the death of Emmett Till, decades after the reconstruction, show us that Blacks were not welcomed at all.
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