Legacy of Reconstruction:
Based upon your research in your prior tabs on the website, to what extent was Reconstruction a success? To what extent was it a failure? What succeeded and what failed?
Legacy of Reconstruction: based upon your research in your prior tabs on the website:
Thesis:
Overall, Reconstruction became a failure with the combined actions of laws being undermined by the Supreme Court, Northern and Congressional support fading, broken promises and the way of Southern life discriminating against freed slaves.
African Americans and Radical Republicans put their utmost effort into fighting against black discrimination in the country. Unfortunately, their efforts made little progress.
Based upon your research in your prior tabs on the website, to what extent was Reconstruction a success? To what extent was it a failure? What succeeded and what failed?
Legacy of Reconstruction: based upon your research in your prior tabs on the website:
- To what extent was Reconstruction a success?
- To what extent was it a failure?
- What succeeded and what failed?
Thesis:
Overall, Reconstruction became a failure with the combined actions of laws being undermined by the Supreme Court, Northern and Congressional support fading, broken promises and the way of Southern life discriminating against freed slaves.
African Americans and Radical Republicans put their utmost effort into fighting against black discrimination in the country. Unfortunately, their efforts made little progress.
September 2, 1876
Recognizing the failure of Reconstruction, Nast asks, "Is This a Republican Form of Government? Is This Protecting Life, Liberty, or Property? Is This the Equal Protection of the Laws?"
Radical Republicans had good intentions by helping freed slaves, but the rest of the country did not want to move as quickly to help black Americans.The amendments and acts passed by Congress improved African Americans lives. Blacks were also finally given citizenship along with the opportunity of education.
Unfortunately, having the same rights as whites did not mean equality for freed slaves. Discrimination against blacks was still present. Although they were free from the peculiar institution, sharecropping and tenant farming circumstances were almost the same thing as slavery. These systems were created because of the broken promise of freed slaves getting land by serving in the army. Even with the powerful legislation from Congress, the Supreme Court diminished the power of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment. The amendments were still intact, but the Judicial branch indirectly prohibited African Americans from voting. The Supreme Court loopholes were literacy tests to if someone was not a registered voter in the past, they could not vote. After years of being punished if slaves tried to learn to read and write, there was no possible way to pass the literacy test. Same goes with the being a registered voter in the past. Black Americans had just gained this right and the federal government was already taking it away. As time went on, Radical Republicans and Northerners either lost interest or were distracted by their own problems than circumstances in the South. In terms of the federal government, the Executive branch is doing nothing to enforce equality laws passed by Congress, the Judicial branch is doing everything in their power to sabotage African American rights and the Legislative branch is now realizing they are not making an impact so they stop focusing on Reconstruction. With the weakened federal government and Radical Republicans, the South and Democrats take back their power with no one to stop them. Organizations like the KKK, and Jim Crow laws were passed and enforced in the South. Southerners disregarded any laws to help black Americans because they all had the same core ideas to discriminate against African Americans.
Unfortunately, having the same rights as whites did not mean equality for freed slaves. Discrimination against blacks was still present. Although they were free from the peculiar institution, sharecropping and tenant farming circumstances were almost the same thing as slavery. These systems were created because of the broken promise of freed slaves getting land by serving in the army. Even with the powerful legislation from Congress, the Supreme Court diminished the power of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment. The amendments were still intact, but the Judicial branch indirectly prohibited African Americans from voting. The Supreme Court loopholes were literacy tests to if someone was not a registered voter in the past, they could not vote. After years of being punished if slaves tried to learn to read and write, there was no possible way to pass the literacy test. Same goes with the being a registered voter in the past. Black Americans had just gained this right and the federal government was already taking it away. As time went on, Radical Republicans and Northerners either lost interest or were distracted by their own problems than circumstances in the South. In terms of the federal government, the Executive branch is doing nothing to enforce equality laws passed by Congress, the Judicial branch is doing everything in their power to sabotage African American rights and the Legislative branch is now realizing they are not making an impact so they stop focusing on Reconstruction. With the weakened federal government and Radical Republicans, the South and Democrats take back their power with no one to stop them. Organizations like the KKK, and Jim Crow laws were passed and enforced in the South. Southerners disregarded any laws to help black Americans because they all had the same core ideas to discriminate against African Americans.
