American Slavery

Introduction

The Reconstruction Era of the United States history is referred to the period during and soon after the Civil War in which efforts were made for a reunion with the defeated states and to determine the socio-political status of almost 4 million African-American slaves. The period of Reconstruction started in 1863 and lasted till 1877.

Discussion

Slavery was one of the leading causes of the outbreak of Civil War and the blacks played vital role in the victory of the Union against Confederacy. The Unionists recognized these contributions and tried to get the slaves due socio-political status in the new set up. The 13th amendment made in December 1865 formally abolished slavery. The period of Reconstruction addressed the political, social, economic and constitutional issues of South America (Weinberg, pp 33-78).

Impact & Nature

The period of Reconstruction was spread over more than twelve years during which a number of developments took place. The issue of slavery was on the top priority of the American legislators. The Emancipation Proclamation was the foremost development in that context that was aimed to end the notorious “Black Codes”. In 1862 Congress abolished slavery in the District of Columbia and forbidden slavery in the territories. On September 22, Lincoln subjected the first, or preliminary, Emancipation Proclamation (Foner, pp 77-189). The Public Statement read as, “That on the 1st day of January, A.D. 1863, all persons held as slaves inside any State or designated part of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom (Weinberg, pp 33-78).

That the executive will on the 1st day of January aforesaid, by public statement, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State or the people thereof shall on that day be in good faith represented in the Congress of the United States by members chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such States shall have participated shall, in the absence of strong ...