American History: Reconstruction Era

American History: Reconstruction Era

Introduction

Reconstruction refers to the period immediately following the Civil War in which attempts were made to politically, economically, and socially "reconstruct" the Union and the 11 defeated ex-Confederate states. The era was marked by horrific racial violence, widespread southern poverty, and general political unrest. African Americans were the most important agents in developing Reconstruction. The fundamental point of Reconstruction was to provide a full meaning of freedom to ex-slaves so that being a citizen they can claim their rights. For many years Reconstruction was considered an age of bad governance and corruption caused due to the involvement of blacks in politics. But after the broadened research and developed racial relations in America, Reconstruction era is viewed a favorable time for progress of South and former slaves.

Discussion

Reconstruction era was proposed to provide rights and protection to black people or African American but people of South made many efforts to wreck its every clause. During slavery, black people faced many hardships but even in the age of Reconstruction, their lives were threatened by many groups. Era of reconstruction faced many hindrances. The plan for Reconstruction put forward by Andrew Johnson, which included right to vote for Blacks, to hold office and implementing the rules of equal rights provision, was rejected by the Southern governments and faced opposition from many violent groups like Ku Klux Klan and other. On the other hand it also affected the economics of the country.

The federal government faced an enormous set of obstacles as it set about rebuilding a political structure that had been fractured by civil conflicts. Reconstruction meant many things. The most far-reaching and controversial efforts were the Radical Republicans' Reconstruction policies. In the eyes of many Americans, reconstruction did not promote but, rather, delayed healing the ...