Reconstruction
After the Civil War racism was widespread throughout the south even though there was much effort by the North in creating equality throughout the newly reformed nation. Even though Reconstruction fell far short of its intended goals, the nation was reunited in the governmental sense and many laws were enacted in respects to the equality of blacks. While Congress passed amendments to eventually help future black generations, its actions could not immediately erase two centuries of the nation's social habits. Both whites and African Americans had to hastily adjust to the customs of the new South and most found they had an extremely difficult time doing so.After the assassination of President Lincoln, the responsibility of Reconstruction was now in President Andrew Johnson's hands. Johnson's plan, a more lenient form of Lincoln's, was to quickly restore the southern states to their rightful place in the Union. Johnson also arranged for ordinary white southerners to sign a loyalty oath to rightfully own their property again and regain their civil and political rights. In Johnson's plans, former high-ranking Confederate officials had to apply for individual pardons, most of which Johnson wrote
With Reconstruction came many new laws and amendments for equality of race. The states were united again through much struggle and compromise. Although blacks didn't experience equality right away, the laws were in place for the benefit of future generations. With Reconstruction the southern state governments acknowledged the amendments, but at the same time, the majority of white citizens of those states continued to repeatedly ignore blacks' rights. Groups such as the Ku Klux Klan used violence to defend their higher social status over blacks. Although blacks now had laws for equality it would take the nation as a whole many decades for blacks to see changes, and those changes are still being seen today. Even though blacks had their new glimpse of freedom, they were soon confronted by the likes of hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. Slowly as legislation passed, blacks were given more and more rights on paper, but southern whites were still very much opposed to black equality. Southern whites, usually impoverished, joined the Ku Klux Klan in an attempt to curb black equality and preserve their superior social status over blacks. The members also felt obligated to uphold the so-called southern white tradition. The mentality of the Ku Klux Klan can best be summarized by a white southerner who stated, "I may be poor and my manners may be crude, but...because I am a white man, I have a right to be treated with respect by Negroes.... That I am poor is not as important as that I am a white man; and no Negro is ever going to forget that he is not a white
Some common words found in the essay are:
African Americans, Klux Klan, Civil War, North Panic, Reconstruction Reconstruction, Union Johnson, Republicans Johnson, African American, Klan Slowly, Rutherford Hayes's, african americans, ku klux, klux klan, ku klux klan, political rights, southern whites, social status blacks, rights johnson's, own property, found themselves, johnson's plans, black equality,
Approximate Word count = 1059
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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