Reconstruction Argumentative Analysis

Over the course of the Civil War, the main conflict has been and always has been regarding the freedoms and rights of African Americans. In the aftermath of this war, the fate of these newly freed slaves became more or less problematic. Upon the death of Abraham Lincoln in 1867, Congress took charge of reconstructing and rebuilding the broken and divided nation. During this Reconstruction era, however, there were many changes and issues in which African Americans were subjected to socially, politically, and economically. Limiting rights, furthering rights, for better or for worse. The overall extent to which they were free, in my honest opinion, were very limited in all areas during the Reconstruction.

Politically speaking, African Americans …show more content…
“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” However, the South twisted this and pretty much made sure it is completely nullified by their own set of rules and procedures. This is perfectly exemplified in the Literacy Test, given to African Americans to see whether or not they were competent to vote in the country. The truth is, however, African Americans cannot read nor write because they’ve been raised as slaves/objects their entire lives and were completely prohibited from even touching a book. As a matter of fact, the people who made and established this policy, knew what they were doing and exactly how much of a disadvantage the African Americans were in. According to the Literacy Test(Grading the Louisiana Literacy Test), “The Louisiana Literacy Test was designed so that the test-takers would pass or fail simply at the discretion of the registrar who administered the test. The questions were so imprecisely written that the examiner could decree almost any answer correct or incorrect, at his whim.Black applicants could be failed for something as simple as a single spelling or punctuation error. However, many examiners chose to deceive test-takers by changing the rules or interpreting paradoxical questions in different ways.” Not only had African Americans been put in a difficult position themselves already, there were obvious biases and obstacles that were put in their way to make sure that it would be near impossible to try and pass this test. Also, the examiners got paid 5 dollars for each slave they passed, while they got 10 dollars for every slave they did pass. So, things never really were fair for African Americans in the first place. Henceforth limiting their rights politically

Show More

Related Documents: Reconstruction Argumentative Analysis

Reconstruction Argumentative Analysis

Reconstruction Argumentative Analysis

Iraq: Gulf War and Bush Essay