How Important Was the Reconstruction Period of 1865-1877...

The end of the civil war should’ve marked a major turning point for the position of African Americans. The north’s victory marked the end of slavery and in addition, the fourteenth and fifteenth amendment guaranteed African Americans full civil and political equality. However, the end of the civil war and the beginning of the reconstruction era was seen a ‘false dawn for the slaves in the former confederacy and border states. 1865 saw the creation of the freedman bureau to provide food, shelter and medical aid and land to ex- slaves. The passing of the 1866 freedman bureau act over President Johnson’s veto meant an extension of work of the bureau. It also included the right of military courts in the south to hear racial discrimination†¦show more content†¦Their heinous attacks included a mutilation of a leading Black Republican and killing 46 African Americans who served in the Northern Army in Memphis Tennessee. However, the rise of the KKK also meant that congress had to rise up to battle against the racist organization, and thus forth, they succeeded in passing the First Enforcement Act (to protect black voters) and the Second Enforcement act (to supervise elections). The third enforcement act was the power to suspend habeas corpus and arrest suspected KKK members. Although the reconstruction acts of 1867 and 1868 completely changed the electorate in the former confederacy, in Southern states, prejudice that African Americans faced was still ripe. Even when African Americans tried to escape the discrimination and intimidation they faced in the South to the North and West, racial tolerance was not always given. The reconstruction era ended, with the compromise of 1877 where republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes, needed southern electoral college votes .in doing so, he abandoned reconstruction and allowed white supremacists to seize control of the democratic party, thus allowing a new ‘dark age’ for African Americans in the South. In conclusion, it would be unfair of one to say that the reconstruction period brought about very little change for African Americans. For one, the thirteenth amendment sought to end slavery, while the fourteenth aimed toShow MoreRelatedReconstruction During The Civil War Essay1676 Words   |  7 PagesReconstruction The United States went through many changes after the Civil War and during the Reconstruction period of 1866-1877. Before Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on December, 1863, by John Wilkes, Lincoln announced the first Reconstruction plan a year before the Civil War had ended and Lincoln offered general amnesty to white southerners who would pledge an oath of loyalty to the government and accept the abolition of slavery. 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