Something To Read About

How well did Reconstruction work? 

Reconstruction was the time after the Civil War, when the rebuilding of the South was going to take place. Control was going to be a main focus, as well as helping slaves become adjusted to their new lives. The time period ran roughly from 1865-1877. Reconstruction did have some good points, but the bad outweighed the good. The slaves had to get used to their new lives as free people. Many had never stepped outside of the property of their owners. They did not know how to function in normal society. Most owners kept slaves from learning how to read or write. When slaves were freed from the shackles of the plantations, this meant they were thrown into a prison of civilization. They had no place to learn, eat, work, or live. The only skill many slaves had was to work in the fields.

In 1865, The Freedmen’s Bureau was established to help alleviate some of the strain slaves faced. It provided aid for medical needs, food, places to live, and built schools.

The Freedmen’s Bureau had inadequate funds, was unable to discontinue most poverty, and it failed to prevent the emergence of black codes. The bureau was terminated in 1872.

The emergence of black codes was also a problem. Black codes regulated blacks from doing certain things, such as voting,  and living in a certain area. The codes were quickly sought out and eliminated. By 1866, the codes were no longer around. Racism still persisted among many of the former Confederate states.

The government tried to help the Reconstruction process by passing the Civil Rights act of 1866, the 14th amendment in June of 1866, and the 15th amendment in 1870. The Civil Rights act gave blacks the full rights of citizens. The 14th amendment gave blacks and whites equal rights regarding federal and state laws. A state could not become a part of the Union until it passed the 14th amendment as one of its own laws. The 15th amendment gave blacks the right to vote.

Reconstruction ended in 1877 due to a few reasons. Reconstruction had had a few good events, but they were not all that good. The bad was quickly overshadowing the good. By the end of 1877, it was as if reconstruction had never happened. It would take almost one hundred years for blacks to be recognized as true citizens of America.

“Here, long before their outright disenfranchisement arounf the turn of the century, black political rights progressivley eroded. Small numbers of blacks remained in the Southern legislature, and a few even won election to congress.” (Foner 249)

The entire reconstruction did place some former slaves on the right path to becoming citizens. But it would take a few years for them to get adjusted to life as free people. It would take many, many years to actually let them have equal rights as white people. Reconstruction was not overall a good thing, but it had intentions of being good. Reconstruction needed more local enforcement and a more targeted strategy to help blacks get on their feet when they did not know how to stand.

Foner, Eric. A Short History of Reconstruction. New York: Harper & Row, 1990.