Civil War Reconstruction Essay

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After the Civil War, which took place between 1861 and 1865, a way to reunite the Northern and Southern U.S was necessary for further development within the country. Reuniting the Union consisted of forming new plans, agreements, and laws that were made to ensure the allegiance and loyalty of ex-confederates. Furthermore, reconstruction also consisted of ways to efficiently integrate freedpeople, or former slaves, into society. The incorporation of people of color into a predominantly white society called for a discussion on the civil liberties and rights they were to possess. To the freedpeople, earning freedom was generally about earning the right to their own bodies and education. To white southerners, however, people of color earning freedom …show more content…
However, once Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, the essence of the war somewhat shifted; directly addressing the civil liberties of African Americans and their place in society. The proclamation declared that all slaves in rebellious states will be freed. The Reconstruction era was a period directly following the Civil War, in which Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Radical Republicans and Congress answered the question “How could a nation torn apart by civil war put itself back together?” Due to the Emancipation Proclamation, a considerable part of this era consisted of addressing the rights of African Americans, one of the examples being the Freedman’s Bureau, created in 1865 and established by the biracial coalition of Radical Republicans. It’s purpose was to “assist former slaves and poor whites living in the South”, in addition to providing them with food, medical care, and education following the aftermath of the Civil War ( Hart, Diane, Bower 135). With the numerous opportunities and protection offered by the Freedman’s Bureau, more African Americans were able to establish themselves as capable of being societal and political leaders (Zinn, 21). Despite it being gradually defunded as Radical Republicans lost power in Congress, it had a large impact, as it provided more protection to African Americans than multiple years after the reconstruction era
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