Reconstruction Dbq Apush Essay

The era from 1860 to 1877 was a quantify of reconstructive memory and revolution in America. umpteen constitutional develop ments aided the reform movement, much(prenominal) as the ratification of the 13th, 14th, and fifteenth Amendments, which tending(p) African Americans suffrage and civil powerfuls. Though these transfigures seemed the like a step in the right direction, social values such(prenominal) as white supremacy didnt abandon things to go as planned. Despite the detail that African Americans were granted rights on paper, they restrained werent hardened equ al unmatchabley. defendions of abandon from the Ku Klux Klan imperil African Americans. Although sla truly was considered abolished, people became parti all(prenominal)y enslaves due to the Mississippi Black Codes and grantcropping.During reconstruction thither were populacey changes within the laws that granted African Americans rights that they hadnt previously had. In 1865, many American citizens of African evenfall claimed that if they were able to be drafted, then they should crap the right to voter turnout as easily (Doc. C). Soon after, the civil Rights Act of 1866 provided citizenship to all former slaves and gave them equal rights, equal incli area to laws and rights to protect property. This was by far one of the most revolutionary transitions for slaves be start it was a change in legislation (Doc. F). Further more than, the addition of three fresh amendments also tremendously changed the lives of African Americans.The 13th amendment abolished slavery, the 14th amendment granted color people citizenship and equal protection of the laws, and the 15th amendment presented universal suffrage. The first dreary man was reported voting on November 16, 1867 (Doc. G). In addition, the strong point Act of 1870 also helped to s often rump the idea that former slaves were to be treated with respect. Anyone who be activeed against them, specifically forbidding African Americans to vote by threatening them, would be seen as guilty of felony. The Second Force Act of 1871 was a reiteration of the first act, except it expanded further than just voting rights, and anyone who violated the constitutional rights would be put together guilty of a high crime. This act was mainly used to stop the actions of the Ku Klux Klan. Although all of the reinforcements were made to help African Americans, there were hush manyissues and disagreements upon the view sites of the American people.The point of reconstruction was aimed at helping to bring through the Union. Staying united as a nation was the only way to go virtually the situation (Doc. B). If all the states separated, more problems would eject as there would be more tension among them. This being so, the union didnt emergency to do anything that might cause the south to secede from the nation. They wanted to conserve a balance surrounded by contrastive areas of the nation. They had satisfied the North by abolishing slavery, solely this upset the south as they helpless their main source of labor. To deal with this issue, the federal official organization stated that they had no penury to dictate the matter of suffrage in any state because they didnt want to upset the south any more, overturned that they might secede (Doc. D). A pas de deux forms later, the ratification of three new amendments would change that, but at the cartridge holder being the government didnt want to risk anything.Discrimination against African Americans was still very big issue in America. The installment of the Mississippi Black Codes created situations very similar to slavery. If someone was under eighteen years old, they would be put into prentice ship where they would be under the gentle of a master. They could be persecuted or recaptured if they attempt to run away. In addition, freed slaves who didnt sense a job within the year would be fined, and if they couldnt afford to cook up the fine they would be lent to those who could pay the fine. Another issue that came up was that the government didnt carry out the look to that freed slaves that they would be able to purchase homesteads. Many former slaves argued that they are free men and deserve to have the same rights as anyone else (Doc. E).Since a lot of former slaves were vagrants and couldnt afford a homestead, they would follow the agreement of sharecropping. Tenants would use the buckowners land to plant crops, and they would pay the owner by giving them a share of the crops. This often became a cycle where the tenant would interminably be in debt, not allowing them to let the land, almost making them slaves in a certain aspect. Following the Black Codes, the unveiling of Jim Crow Laws created requisition between black people and white people. Each fly the coop had their own separate facilities and they were not allowed to share or combinethem.There was legal separation in simple things such as wate r fountains and restrooms, to more intricate things such as federal workplaces and the US military. As well as segregation between the blacks and whites, there were also acts of violence from groups such as the Ku Klux Klan towards the African Americans. Although, the government did produce action against members of the KKK, their actions were still brutal (Doc. H). A political cartoon by doubting Thomas Nast that appeared in Harpers each week on October 24, 1874 shows how the abuse from the KKK was considered to be worsened than slavery (Doc. I).Reconstruction was a time of revolution to a certain period in terms of constitutional developments. The Civil Rights Act, the ratification of three new amendments, and the enforcement of the Force Acts all helped to give African Americans the par that they deserved and protect them from potential harm. yet in a social manner, African Americans werent treated as equals and were looked squander upon. Instillations of the Black Codes an d sharecropping put the recently freed slaves back in almost the same target as they were just recently. Jim Crow Laws created segregation between the two races, separating them with any stipulation opportunity. Groups such as the KKK practiced acts of violence against the black people, seeing them as inferior. So although the ideas of reconstruction were revolutionary, the actions that followed them backfired the plan.