In the midst of a civil upheaval during the 1860s and 1870s the United States underwent changes which were little short of revolutionary. Being one of the most complex and controversial periods in American history, it was during this time that many political and social reforms took place. Through the secession of the Southern States, the blood shedding of the Civil War, and the post-war Reconstruction period came many political and social issues that transformed the United States from what it was in the 1860s to what it is today.

The secession of South Carolina in 1860 paved the way for the other states to follow and a revolution to begin. The belief that states had more power than the national government popular at the time led the way for the southern states to declare that the constitutional infidgements on their rights as states allowed them to secede. (Doc. A) Northerners and the national government did not agree. They believed in the necessary and proper clause that gave the national government the power to do what it deemed necessary to protect the country from both, foreigners and itself. With this in mind the Civil War began to reunite the country, for the only way they believ

The results of the war were catastrophic to Northerners and Southerners, black or white, whether measured in lives or loss of property. Slavery, which was critical to the economy of the South, was eliminated. The Confederate states were reunited with the North and the Union preserved. The transition from an agrarian, rural society to an urban, mechanized society began. The post-war Reconstruction period dramatically changed the social structure of the country, but its Constitution as well. The amendments added to the Constitution and the social changes made by the American society during the 1860s and 1870s could not be considered anything but revolutionary, fore if the United States had not undergone these changes it may not have become the country we know today.

The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution were monumental steps in gaining civil rights for all Americans. The amendments, which were passed between 1865 and 1870, were intended to guarantee social equality for all races. The Thirteenth Amendment ended slavery in the United States. The Fourteenth Amendment defined American citizenship as "all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof". It prohibited any law that would deprive any person of life, liberty, or

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 879
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)