Editing a Paper on Reconstruction (Essay Sample)

TITLE OF THE PAPER Student’s Name Class Information Date Reconstruction is often associated with the period immediately following the end of the U.S. Civil War in 1865, marked by the federal government’s attempt to reintegrate the Southern states into the Union and to address the social relations arising from the emancipation of slaves. From 1865 to 1877, this era, known as Reconstruction, was characterized by significant political, social, and economic changes. Federal attempts at Reconstruction aimed to rebuild the South and secure civil rights for African Americans. The three principal objectives of Reconstruction were to re-establish the Union, transform Southern society, and protect the rights of freed slaves. Challenges Faced During Reconstruction The most formidable barrier to the success of Reconstruction was the enduring racism and entrenched social institutions in the Southern states, which manifested in various forms. Racist opposition led to violent resistance against efforts to enforce federal. Legal restrictions and discrimination, such as the poll taxes that disenfranchised the poor and Black Codes aimed at restricting the newly freed African Americans, were rampant. Deep-seated prejudices created obstacles to government actions promoting racial and social equality. W.E.B. Du Bois poignantly observed, “The slave went free; stood a brief moment in the sun; then moved back again toward slavery” (Du Bois, 1935). Legal impediments compounded the difficulties. The Black Codes, legislated in most Southern states, were designed to limit the political and economic freedom of African Americans, effectively replacing slavery with a controlled labor force. Vagrancy laws allowed the police to detain jobless African Americans and coerce them into labor contracts, further restricting their movement, employment, and civil rights. Historian Eric Foner noted, “The Black Codes […] showed how far the white South would go to preserve slavery by another name” (Foner, Give Me Liberty!, 564). Racism was not confined to the South. Many Northern whites harbored racist beliefs that severely limited the scope of Black rights, far below the aspirations of many African Americans and their Northern allies. These prejudices impeded the national effort to achieve genuine racial equality. The Reconstruction Plans of Presidents Lincoln and Johnson President Abraham Lincoln’s Ten Percent Plan, formally issued in December 1863, aimed to quickly reunify the nation with minimal punishment for the South. Under this plan, it required only ten percent of voters in a seceded state to take an oath of allegiance to the Union and accept emancipation before forming a new state government and abolishing slavery. Lincoln’s plan was praised for its leniency and practicality, but critics argued it was too lenient and insufficient in addressing the root causes of secession or securing rights for freedmen (Foner, Give Me Liberty!, 579). Lincoln’s assassination in April 1865 prevented the full implementation of his plan, and early attempts at reintegration proved inadequate in safeguarding African American rights. Lincoln’s successor, President Andrew Johnson, adopted an even milder approach. He offered a general pardon to most Confederates and allowed Southern states that honored the Thirteenth Amendment to be readmitted, removing the provisional status and military oversight of these states. Johnson’s leniency resulted in the rise of new state governments dominated by former Confederates and the enforcement of Black Codes that denied basic liberties to freedmen (Foner, Give Me Liberty!, 586). Johnson underestimated the profound social and political changes needed in the South, as illustrated by Theodore Davis’s “Prisoners on Johnson Island” (1865), which reflects the era’s tensions. Congressional Control and Positive Outcomes of Reconstruction In 1867, Radical Republicans in Congress took control of Reconstruction from President Johnson, introducing new rules that divided the South into five military districts under Union generals. Southern states were required to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment, granting birthright citizenship and equal protection under the law, and to draft new state constitutions that guaranteed voting rights for Black men. Congress also passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the first federal civil rights law, declaring that all persons born in the United States “shall be considered as citizens of the United States” with “the full and equal benefit of all laws and proceedings” (Foner, Voices of Freedom, Document 98). A significant positive outcome of Congressional Reconstruction was the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, which abolished slavery, guaranteed citizenship and equal protection and established voting rights for African American men. These amendments laid the foundation for future civil rights campaigns, and African Americans achieved unprecedented political milestones, assuming positions at all levels of government. The Freedmen’s Bureau was established to assist formerly enslaved people, advance education, and provide legal representation, laying the...