HOW THE AFRICAN AMERICAN RECONSTRUCTION EXPERIENCE FUNDAMENTALLY AFFECTED THE STATUS OF THE GROUP
Introduction and Thesis Statement
The history of Black people in the united states of America is a long and complex one that had a lot of events and experiences that greatly impacted and shaped the history and future of African Americans in the united states. While the black people in northern America had quite a number of experiences which critically fundamentally affected their status as a people, Reconstruction remains to be one of the most important and memorable of them all. The Civil war, which happened in the 18th century, had two critical periods surrounding it, the prewar era and the post-war era, which was the reconstruction era. The events surrounding the civil war were a critical component as far as the shaping of the African Americans’ destiny was concerned. The effects of the aftermath of the experiences which African Americans went through are actively experienced today in the modern world.
This paper seeks to explore the critical effect that Reconstruction had in shaping the destiny of African Americans by highlighting the different events that followed the civil war geared towards Reconstruction, the implementation of different aspects of the reconstruction ideologies, and the subsequent effects of Reconstruction on the African Americans. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Body
The reconstruction era was a period that saw astounding political complexities take place in the united states, which subsequently had quite far-reaching and complex outcomes. A significant number of questions arose as far as a comprehensive understanding of the reconstruction process was concerned. While there were important chronological events surrounding the reconstruction period, this was a period where the united states held a heated debate on the questions of who was an American, who deserved to enjoy the American rights, the nature of the rights to be enjoyed, and who would possess some rights. The strenuous debate fundamentally focused on the nature of freedom and equality that was to be enjoyed by the American people. “ [1]Considering that this era which began in 1885 took place in a broken country that had just come from a devastating civil war, the process involved trying to bring the nation back together in an effort to make the united states a fully functional country that it once was before the war.
The civil war had taken a great toll on the country tearing apart the American citizens and affecting a few groups, which included the African Americans, Radical republicans, the southerners who majorly white supremacists, and the moderate northerners. The reconstruction process took form in different processes ranging from presidential, congressional, and also radical Reconstruction. With the effort to reunite the country taking shape, some numerous changes and amendments were made, which would end up having a long term effect on the African Americans as far as their rights and freedoms were concerned. This was critical for them because the civil war had somewhat saved them from illegal slavery to an extent in the process of changing how they lived.
“ [2]After the confederate had surrendered and Jefferson Davis was arrested in 1865, tough but critical questions were raised and needed to be promptly addressed. The main concerns were how the country would be reunited, the fate of the former confederate states, the definition of American citizenship after the war, the fate of the former slaves, the replacement of slavery, and the regain of American citizenship by the southern confederates. The total population of the Africans in the united states at the time was about four million, seventy-five percent of whom were mainly slaves. This meant that African Americans were at the core of the fundamental issues and concerns that were raised in the reconstruction period. Not only was it obvious that the civil war served to end slavery at the time, but also the fact that the position of the black people in the American society was inevitably involved in all the pressing questions that were raised.
This was against the earlier presumed notion that the white northerners and southerners would have a constructive debate without considering the black people. This came as a shocker to them as they had not had a previous encounter where the black people had taken center stage to as far as decision makings in North America were concerned after the civil war.”[3] It had become apparent that it would be inevitable to fail to acknowledge the need to provide African Americans with their rights and freedom by the end of the reconstruction period. This meant that for the first time in American history, the black people would have a chance to enjoy a state where they will have the liberty to do what they want without any limitations.
“ [4]The biggest concern at the time for the African Americans was whether they were going to be granted citizenship. This decision had solely lied to the confederate states, and this was bound to be changed with the successful implementation of the reconstruction process. In an 1858 decision, the supreme court in the Dred Scott ruling decided that the black people, whether imported into the country a slaves or not, shouldn’t be granted American citizenship. One of the effects of the civil war is that it resulted in the shifting of the slaves along union lines in huge numbers. The emancipation proclamation that followed suit overruled the Dred Scott decision as it was obvious of how difficult it would be to implement the said decision as the time. Given that the definition and protection of citizenship were well defined in the law, any attempts to have any resolution with regards to the status of former slaves had to be addressed from the American federalism perspective rather than constitutionally. This meant that any resolution on the African Americans’ citizenship status was continent to the position of the confederates and their general relationship with the united states as a country.
This, however, was a difficult process, given that the aftermath of the civil war was still much alive. The huge number of deaths and bloodshed was still fresh in people’s memories, and this led to further resentment and hatred. “ [5]The south had become a failed economic and political region that was trying hard to recollect itself. The black people who had been freed by the 1865 13th amendment were lost and had no idea how they would go ahead and make a living. Different political leaders had their ideations and plans on how to go about with Reconstruction, further complicating the process.
The question on who would dictate the terms of Reconstruction was another major concern. The excision of power to define the rights of the black Americans depended on the people who controlled the activities that happened in the former confederates. Initially, it wasn’t clear on whether the conquered southern confederates were conquered territories or they were to be readmitted to the union as quasi-frontier territories. This would mean that the people of the south would then be allowed to decide on the fate of the southern states as well as the details regarding citizenship in their states.”[6] The Northerners had a varied opinion on the course that should be taken. One of the political leaders that came up with the first plan for the Reconstruction was Abraham Lincoln, the American president during that time. His plan was a transparent one, which stated that if the confederate states met certain requirements, they should be invited back to the union. These states were expected to have at least ten percent of their voters agreeing to the emancipation of slavery and pledging loyalty to the union. The senior officials in the country ranking highly were also denied from carrying out any voting rights unless granted permission by the president himself.
Before he was murdered, President Lincoln’s attempts to push for a quick reunion was guided by his presumption that the reunion would strengthen America as a country. “[7] His successor Andrew Johnson echoed Lincoln’s stand adopting the same proposals of restoring the rights of the southerners once they pledged loyalty to the union. Unfortunately, Johnson wasn’t so enthusiastic about granting citizenship to African Americans, and this made some northerners take a neutral position as far as Johnson’s ideologies were concerned. After regaining their rights to rejoin the union, the white southerners elected their former confederate leaders to represent them in Congress, something that was vehemently opposed by the northerners.
The subject of granting blacks citizenship continued to have a split opinion. The southerners weren’t so accommodative of the idea and had a vivid plan on the social and racial adjustments concerning slavery.”[8] The legislatures from these states passed the Black Codes, which were termed as oppressive laws passed under Johnson’s reconstruction ideologies. These barred the black people from voting, further restricting their freedom of movement. This paved the way to the congressional Reconstruction, where the Republican majority decided to influence the course of the process by taking advantage of the legislative powers and control they had over the federal government at the time. This served to prevent the southerners from determining the fate of Reconstruction.
The white Republicans had made it clear that they were open to the idea of extending citizenship to the blacks. The brazenness of the southerners made the republicans tactfully extend the citizenry to the slaves, knowing that they needed help from the south if Reconstruction was to go on successfully. The southerners had made their stand on the subject bypassing the black codes. The black Americans in the southern region worked closely with the republicans to speed up the process. “ [9]After the civil war had ended, the blacks in the south had convened several times expressing their feelings about the state of affairs at the time. Unlike their white counterparts, the southern blacks emphasized that for the Reconstruction to continue, they had to be involved in every step of the way. They came out strongly demanding that the country admitted that as a people, they had rights just like any other American. The white northerners were cordial to this demand, and the tireless push and efforts by the blacks bore fruits as they managed to convince the white northerners that extending citizenship to former slaves would be a critical and wise step in restoring unity in the union.
The quagmire of the white southerners who were opposed to this extension of citizenship had to be addressed. “[10] The 1867 Military Reconstruction Act was established to address this problem. The act split the southern states into military districts which were ruled by the federal government. The southerners were barred from any form of the civilian rule until black suffrage was guaranteed. The southern states were also forced to ratify the fourteen amendments of the federal constitution. The amendment was a multifunctional entity that was meant to address the contentious issues that were of importance to the American people as a nation. The amendment was critical towards the realization of the much-sought freedom by the African Americans for a number of reasons. One of them is that it halted the president’s power to pardon the confederate leaders and, more importantly, established a constitutional assurance of basic citizenship to everyone, including the black people who lived in the United States. The fourteenth amendment, therefore, stopped the deprivation of people’s rights, freedom, and properties without following the due process.
The Military Reconstruction Act and Fourteenth amendment led to the massive political push for the blacks to participate in critical processes. “ [11]Throughout the reconstruction period, the blacks actively participated in electoral processes in huge numbers, further boosting republican’s dominance in Congress. Given that they were the majority, they also pushed for the ratification of the fifteenth amendment. The new amendment broadened the fourteenth amendment giving every male citizen the right to vote.
The proponents of Reconstruction were aware that the political and civil components had a direct impact on the economy as far as Reconstruction of the south was concerned. For African Americans, the end of slavery allowed them to work freely without being forced to do something against their will. They were happy about the prospect of them receiving the returns and fruits of their labor at will. They, however, faced the hurdle of being unable to buy land or own property as the white supremacists were determined to ensure that the old status quo remained.
Conclusion
While the Reconstruction era after the Civil War had its obstacles and challenges, the events that happened during this period remains to be one of the most significant experiences for the black people in Northern America. Despite questions being raised on whether this was a success or not, some significant steps were realized during this period. Through the enactment of the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments as well as the Military Act, tangible efforts were made to ensure that African Americans’ rights were granted. It is during the reconstruction era that blacks were granted citizenship, allowed to participate in elections, and slavery was controlled, allowing them to have the right to work at their preferred destinations without oppression. Reconstruction’s impacts are seen in modern society, with a growing number of black Americans doing great things and achievements thanks to the equal opportunities being granted in different fields.
[1] Du Bois, William Edward Burghardt. Black Reconstruction in America: Toward a history of the part which black folk played in the attempt to reconstruct democracy in America, 1860-1880. Routledge, 2017
[2] Teitelman, Emma. “Governing the Peripheries: The Social Reconstruction of the South and West After the American Civil War.” (2018).
[3] Foner, Eric. “Slavery, the civil war, and reconstruction.” The new American history (1997): 85-106.
[4] Opotow, Susan. “Not so much as place to lay our head…”: Moral Inclusion and Exclusion in the American Civil War Reconstruction.” Social Justice Research 21, no. 1 (2008): 26-49.
[5] Byrd, Brandon R. “Black Republicans, Black Republic: African-Americans, Haiti, and the Promise of Reconstruction.” Slavery & Abolition 36, no. 4 (2015): 545-567.
[6] McCrary, Peyton. Abraham Lincoln and Reconstruction: The Louisiana Experiment. Vol. 1407. Princeton University Press, 2015.
[7] Foner, Eric, and Olivia Mahoney. America’s reconstruction: People and politics after the Civil War. LSU Press, 1997.
[8] Franklin, John Hope. Reconstruction after the civil war. University of Chicago Press, 1994.
[9] Randall, James Garfield, and David Donald. The civil war and reconstruction. Pickle Partners Publishing, 2016.
[10] McCrary, Peyton. Abraham Lincoln and Reconstruction: The Louisiana Experiment. Vol. 1407. Princeton University Press, 2015.
[11] Walton, Hanes, Robert C. Smith, and Sherri L. Wallace. American politics and the African American quest for universal freedom. Routledge, 2017.