American Reconstruction: Success or Failure?
A brief look at Reconstruction and the history of Black citizenship.
“Reconstruction was a period in U.S. history during and after the American Civil War in which attempts were made to solve the political, social, and economic problems arising from the readmission to the Union of the 11 Confederate states that had seceded at or before the outbreak of [the civil] war.” (history-world.org) In its rudiments, the end of the Civil War brought about endless change to all sides, leaving leaders to wonder what step to take next. The goals of Reconstruction were to remove the confederate governments, maintain peace in the south, and ensure that the rights of freedpeople were protected. However, there is some skepticism as to whether or not these goals were achieved. Reconstruction, after analysis of the events that occurred, was a failure due to the insensitive views southern whites had about African-Americans, the litigation of what black citizenship was, as well as the economic depression of the 1870s.
Despite being freed from the reign of slavery in the South, white southerners held very negative views of newly freed blacks. Southern whites still tried to create a sense of supremacy over the former slaves. They were reluctant to sell them land, and when employed they charged them for living and eating expenses, giving them little to no pay for their hard work. Also, the Ku Klux Klan worked at terrorizing the black people. They held mob lynchings, where they would hang blacks in a ritualistic manner. Black people had “heard plenty about the Ku Klux. They scared the folks to death.” (Mckinney 24) These acts of violence were out of fear and anger at blacks. Fear that they would overrun whites, and anger that they were considered equals. However, despite all the ignorant hatred, some blacks felt that their freedom “…didn’t seem to make the whites mad, either.” (Haywood 23) All of the hatred, insensitive views, and acts of terror against freedpeople contributed to the failure of Reconstruction.
The definition of black citizenship was changed multiple times over the period of reconstruction. Their citizenship was changed for the better with the passing of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, which detailed their newly earned rights as free Americans. These amendments assured their citizenship, granted them equal protection under the law, as well as gave the black men voting rights. Although all of this progress was made to ensure the rights of freedpeople, it did not hold up well in the South. “Nearly every southern state has passed separate car laws…” (Wells 28) to prevent blacks from riding in the same train car as white people. Black people were often falsely accused of crimes they did not commit. When an American citizen is accused of a crime, they are entitled to a fair trial by a jury of their peers. However, in the reconstruction era, black people were denied this birthright. Their trials were unfair, and the juries were racist. Rape was a crime that black people were accused of , and many would plead guilty just so they would not face the death penalty. Jim Crow Laws also helped to change the definition of black citizenship. These laws enacted segregation in all public facilities, and claimed that the black facilities were separate but equal. This was certainly not the case, and the separate facilities were nowhere near equal, a result of the whites trying to maintain a sense of superiority, contributing to the failure of Reconstruction.
The economic depression of the 1870s was a catalyst in the failure of reconstruction. Newly freed African-Americans were unable to earn a living, and went from city to city in search of jobs. They seldom found a decent wage, and the African-Americans who turned to agriculture didn’t fare much better. They couldn’t afford to eat, and “…sometimes [they] went three days without a bite to eat.” (Jones 26) “Lots of colored people nearly starved…” (Jones) and many, in fact, did starve to death. They could not afford to buy land from the whites, and when employed by the whites they often went malnourished, a result of poor treatment. “All [they] had to eat was what [they] could beg.” (Jones 26) Black people were impoverished for much of the Reconstruction era, and for some time after struggled to rise above the poverty level. Were they not so poor, black people might have turned the failure of reconstruction around, and had they more financial support they might have been able to make more legal advancements in their favor.
The Reconstruction Era should be seen as an utter failure. Although the goals of reconstruction were benign and set with good intentions, they were not successfully met. The effort to reach these goals was not enough, and too many factors prevented Reconstruction from being a success. The fact that the white south harbored so much hatred towards blacks, the changing definition of black citizenship, and the economic depression of the 1870s were outstanding factors aiding the prevention of successful reconstruction of the United States.
Works Cited
Henretta, James A., Rebecca Edwards, and Robert O. Seld. America: A concise history. 5th ed., vol. 2. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2012. 449 & 456. Print.
“Reconstruction Period.” History World. R.A. Guisepi, n. d. Web. 1 Feb. 2012. <http://history-world.org/reconstruction_period.htm>.
Marcus, Anthony, John M. Giggie, and David Burner. America Firsthand. 9th ed., vol. 2. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2012. 22–43. Print.
