Challenges After Reconstruction Essay

The United States had a Reconstruction Era after the Civil War. This was needed for the rebuilding of the United States. An exact date that this started would be 1865. The Reconstruction of America changed civilians in numberless ways. Different challenges arose as concepts for this plan came to mind. The North and the South battled over new ways of life they had to live to adapt to the Reconstruction plan. Republicans became stronger and freed people tried to reshape their lives as much as they can. As new laws passed, violence started to spark in the South.

When the Reconstruction Era was coming to an end, it left a massive impact along with a mixed legacy. African American rights were beginning to be taken away from them. (“PBS”) The Reconstruction Era was a superior standpoint in history because it molded America into a better country that it was before, it turned most lives completely around in positive ways, some negative, and above all of it helped rejuvenate America from all the commotion of the war by rebuilding divergent sections of the U. S. that were not secure before.

Twelve years after the brutal Cold War The United States started to construct a plan to help lead future race relations and characterize the federal government’s role in promoting racial equality. (“Library’)There were a handful of challenges while designing this plan for Reconstruction. Completing the final layout for Reconstruction involved plenty of disagreements. When the plan was finally composed congress passed four statutes called Reconstruction Acts. These acts were passed on different days of the year and each one of them has a separate meaning.

The 1st act was passed March second and ratified the fourteenth amendment along with other requirements. (“Digital History’) The second Reconstruction act was passed on March twenty-third and it provided the registration of all people qualified to vote. The third act was passed July 19th and it demanded the southern states to confirm the fifteenth amendment before they were subject to the union. Completing Reconstruction plans was put to the test but eventually found its way to the finish point. Arguments and disagreements on different aspects of these plans were launched everywhere.

The main idea of these plans were to give freed slaves in the South their Civil rights and whether or not they should be aloud to vote. (“Reconstruction”) President Andrew Johnson played a major role in this process. He declared that slaves shall be freed and the Reconstruction be concluded. Hereafter the plan was later passed by congress. The start of Reconstruction for the South was a go. This Era was mainly to fix the understanding of equality of slaves, politics, and social involvements. Blacks rights were being stolen away by the white man.

Reconstruction was suppose to help to stop that but in all reality it just worse. After the plans were passed, colored people were discriminated against. There was segregation and such roaming all around the South. When congress passes the plan and acts for Reconstruction, republicans begin to dominate the government. Radical Republicans came to power and they wanted to punish the South. These Republicans passed a military Reconstruction Acts where as it divided the south into 5 different districts.

These districts consisted of federal bayonets and blacks. (“Reconstruction”) Freed people start rebuilding their lives after the war tore them apart. Colored people start getting involved in many more organizations that they could not do when they were slaves. Violence started in the South considering that the white people did not like the blacks having equal rights to them. Bathrooms, parks, and transportation was segregated into 2 parts. (“Reconstruction and its aftermath”) Whites in one section and blacks in another.

Even in restaurants waiters would hold off on serving the colored people just because they were not white. Slaves were freed but this does not stop the whites from hating on the blacks at this time. No one wanted to admit that we were all created equal. While the government was full of Republicans, ex-slaves started to restart their lives as brand new people. Getting involved in voting and other such things. For them in this Era it was very hard because they had to watch their backs. People wanted them dead obviously.

They were given Civil Rights but were not being treated that way. A group started called the KKK and they were basically filled with white supremacists. They believed in one race and would kill another person if they were not the color of them. Which was white. Nor the government or police could stop what they were doing to the blacks in the south. Colored people were being killed by this group and if someone saw, then you will have death called upon also. The impacts of the Reconstruction Era was there blacks are still looked down as second class citizens.

The noble intentions were completely different but sadly did not turn out that way. The impact still denied basic right of African Americans. In reality the government was not ready to break the plantation system and get rid of slaves completely. Many cultural groups gathered to protest against this discrimination. They were trying to prove this injustice in the South. Reconstruction comes to an end and it leaves a mixed legacy. More and more African American rights were restricted. It was like they had