Reconstruction Period in USA and the Reasons for its Failure
Works Cited
Farbman, D. (2017). Reconstructing Local Government. Vanderbilt Law Review, 70(6), 413–497.
Lowe, R. (1986). Another look at Reconstruction in Virginia. Civil War History, 32, 56–76.
Smith, J. D. (2014). We Ask Only for Even-Handed Justice : Black Voices From Reconstruction, 1865-1877: Vol. Revised and expanded edition. University of Massachusetts Press.
Stoner, J. R. (2019). (Why) Did Reconstruction Fail? Legislating and Constitutionalizing Civil Rights. Perspectives on Political Science, 48(4), 224–233. https://doi(dot)org/10.1080/10457097.2019.1630206
Teed, P. E. (2014). Book Review: Sick from Freedom: African American Illness and Suffering during the Civil War and Reconstruction by Jim Downs. War in History, 21(3), 379–381. https://doi(dot)org/10.1177/0968344514526634b
Williams, L. F. (2020). Reconstruction and the Supreme Court. Salem Press Encyclopedia.
Reconstruction Period in USA (1865-1877)
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Reconstruction Period in USA (1865-1877)
Reconstruction in the USA (1865-1877) refers to the efforts made to address the injustices of slavery and its economic, social, and political legacy. Alternatively, it was meant to resolve the concerns rising from readmission to the Unification of the eleven states before or during the Civil war. Historians had portrayed it as a time when the radical vindictive republicans hastened Black supremacy upon the defeated Confederacy (Farbman, 2017). It is also viewed more sympathetically as a laudable experiment in interracial democracy. The radical Republicans such as President Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson represent some of the USA politicians to have fought for the rights and freedom of the Black Americans. Though a bit adamant, President Abraham Lincoln, in his last speech, claimed that Black people are intelligent.
Therefore, the government should allow them to exercise their voting rights. It is believed that Lincoln's speech led to his assassination. Luckily his seat was re-occupied by another Black Sympathizer. However, he was a bit lenient to the Southern White than Abraham Lincoln (Farbman, 2017). For example, he allowed them to restore their political rights. But that did not stop him from championing the right of Black people. For example, he directed that Blacks should be set free. Despite making significant efforts in improving the lives of Black Americans, the reconstruction period failed due to numerous reasons, as mentioned below.
Structural Factors
The issue of slavery in the United States of America (USA) before the American Civil War made it difficult for Reconstruction to proceed. Slavery inhibited social and political organization in the Black society (Stoner, 2019). On the other hand, white counterparts were well organized. For example, the Southerners occupied the state extensively with stable local governments. Furthermore, they had established enough patrol systems to stop escaping slaves and roaming the neighborhoods. The well-established state structures and the local government challenged the capability of Unites States army and other anti-slavery proponents to impose a new system (Stoner, 2019). They thwarted most of the Anti-slavery commission and leaders trying to challenge the status quo of enslaved people during the Reconstruction.
Policy Factors
The assassination of President Lincoln brought Reconstruction programs and activities to a standstill, and he was destroyed before attaining most goals of the Reconstruction. President Andrew Johnson assumed the presidency and appeared to take less concern on Reconstruction. During the post-Civil war, his leadership skills were needed to bring everything to order, but he failed. For example, instead of initiating string rules to contain the southern states, he allowed the Southern states to form their government which strengthened the southerners to continue embracing slavery (Lowe, 1986). Ander Johnson continued to express poor leadership skills by failing to control the activities of southern states on slavery.
On the other hand, the reconstruction...
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