We "abolished" slavery, but did it really do anything? Blacks were freed, but did they have anywhere to go? No. Many went into poverty, never reuniting with their families which were split up during slavery. The Freedmen's Bureau was established to help ex-slaves with food, education, and land. The government passed laws "eliminating" discrimination of blacks. But take a look at the South. They continued to think they were superior to blacks, with beliefs such as Social Darwinism to back up their point. Groups such as the KKK and The Knights of the White Camellia were formed. Reconstruction was a betrayal of former slaves.
Another problem about Reconstruction was that even though the Union convinced the Southern states to re-enter the Union, there were still extreme tensions between the two. Southerners still felt seperated from the North, and Northerners still looked down upon the South. Some of this tension still exists today.
So even though we may have rebuilt cities, expanded our army, and reunited our states, the Reconstruction era was a failure socially, economically, and politically. Oh, and sorry for the casual tone of this entry, I just figured it was the best way to express my opinion on the topic.
I agree with you completely I believe it was mainly a failure because we did not accomplish much but we did accomplish somethings like the 14th and 15th amendment and the right to public education even though by the end the jim crow laws basically prevented african americans the right to good education due to the segregation. However though most of the reconstruction era was a fail because many people did not support it.
ReplyDeleteHa ha I love your use of nerd language... But I agree with your point about the families being split up and unable to come together again. I agree with your assertion that the KKK and Knights of the White Camellia were an opposition to black rights, but there is always opposition to a proposal of new rights to be added, such as the current debate for gay rights.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion on how the abolition of slaves did not accomplish much because the former slaves had no where to go. To make a living, the African Americans had to stick to what the knew best and what they were good at so most of them didn't bother leaving the fields, which makes sense.
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