The Reconstrcution Era

Tamia Jeffers

September 1, 2018

History

Reconstruction Era

                The Reconstrcution Era occured after the Civil War and lasted from 1863 through 1877. At this time there were plenty of changes being made in the South. The federal government goal was tto unite all states and bring everyone back to the Union. The Southern states could not accept the idea that they lost the Civiln War. One of the main issues at the time was that slaves were now working towards equal rights.Also another issue was that Southern States wanted to be seperated from the Northern states, Southern states wanted “State rights”. State rights are laws thats are made within the State so the law may only apply in that State. Reconstruction can also be looked at as the repairing of the South. The South did  not accept the aboltion of slavery, so repairing it took some time.When reconstruction begain President Lincoln was in office he was not in favor of Slavery but many thought he was, but at the time it was about proctecting the Union staying as one (classnotes).The South did not agree with any of the changes.

        The Southern States resisted reconstruction in many ways. Many people in the Southern states felt that Slaves did not deserve rights, slaves were seen as property not as human beings. So after the Civil War freed the slaves politcal rights had to be made.Since Southerns saw former slaves as property there were many things they could not do. Blacks and whites were segrated (classnotes). Black codes was created for former slaves which limited there rights it prevented them from doing certain things in society ( Hewitt, Lawson 432). For example voting many former slaves could not vote, they couldnt bear arms , outlawed intermarriage. Black codes was establish so that White landowners still had some type of power over the slaves. The codes made it hard for slaves to leave there plantation unless they proved they can support themselves. How can a slave do that with no potirical rights it was system set up for blacks to always fail. Southerns resisted the fact that slaves were now seen as humans they chose not to accept it. They formed an organzation KKK that were against all black people. Most confederate states were part of the KKK, Ku Klaz Klan. The KKK killed former slaves for no reason at all at times.