Reconstruction's Failure

Reconstruction's Failure

The Civil War took a large toll on the United States resulting in more than 600,000 deaths of American men. Until the day that the Confederates surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, the war that pinned brother against brother raged on and took the lives of many brave soldiers. The first step after the Civil War ended, remained the reconstruction of this split, decrepit nation. Over the next 15 years, the United States would struggle with the repairing of a nation that waged war against itself. The Reconstruction Era's main obstacle remained the affirmation of the rights given to the freed slaves. Problems occurred with this conformation of the new laws and rights presented to the freedmen. The northern Republican "radicals" approved many new rights for the freedman. The Southerners did not view the black freedmen as equals and still treated them with a degrading manor. Congress eventually turned Democratic which assisted the South in making decisions for the country and could allow them to change laws and rights granted towards the freedmen.

After the Civil War, many southerners refused to respect the rights given to the freedmen and created White Leagues in their cities (Document 4). Southerners looked down upon the uneducated Negroes and many were unhappy with the pride the freedmen had. Democratic Congressman Benjamin Boyer from Pennsylvania expressed a widely viewed opinion by many intelligent congressman which stated that the color of the negro that makes him looked down upon, but the inadequate education that made the negro inferior to other countrymen (Document 1). Boyer presented his argument that the Negros should not receive suffrage due to their lack of intellectual capacity. He believed that it remained outrageous if the freedmen displayed any sense of entitlement (Document 1). Other southerners discredited the freedmen's rights with the tactics of intimidation.