Reconstruction Era Research Paper

A crucial aspect of the monumental Civil War was the recovery. That recovery was necessary for the U.S. and that was the Reconstruction Era. The Reconstruction Era was a time of political relief, as well as hardships that enveloped society. It consisted of successes and failures from 1865-1877, but its events still impact us today. In these times we are settling in the aftermath of the Civil War, and Andrew Johnson is taking his place in office after Lincoln was assassinated. The government passed the 13th Amendment and the civil rights bill in 1865-1866. In 1867-1869, the 14th Amendment was passed with several other states being admitted as well into the union. When we ratified the 15th Amendment in 1870-1872, we were more inclusive of African …show more content…
Andrew Johnson did not agree with Congress, though, as Johnson was a loyal Southerner. Eventually, they decided to allow states back into the union. This did not go anywhere as there was no enforcement of the order or law. This proved to be a vital setback in the Reconstruction Era as it did not promote social agreement between the North and South. “When Congress reopened in December of 1865, it was to Johnson’s Reconstruction and newly elected ex-Confederate representatives sent from a defiantly unreconstructed South” (Source 1, paragraph 3); this action by the South and Johnson was a catalyst for the House to act quickly. Congress resisted presidential and Confederate action and eventually passed the 13th Amendment along with the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The purpose of these was to live up to the ideals of Abraham Lincoln, who wanted peace and order between slaves, poor people, and between the North and the South. “The act ensured the civil rights and citizenship of formerly enslaved people” (Source 1, paragraph 4). The rights guaranteed to slaves were crucial to the refreshment of the union. Even with the Civil Rights Act and the 13th Amendment, people found a way around the new rules in …show more content…
The infringed rights could include, but are not limited to, travel, voting rights, and owning property. The state of Mississippi was one of the first to implement the black codes. This did not help the readmittance of Southern states in the Reconstruction Era as it showed the Confederates were being rebellious. These events of 1865-1866 led to the Reconstruction Acts of 1867-1869 (Source 3). To continually restrict the Confederate South was to help the unification. This had to be done due to the consistent resistance the Confederates had been managing. The military control of the Confederates was done through the omittance of Southern state governments, a plan done by the Senate. The dominance over the Confederates promoted the radical beliefs set out by the Senate. These Reconstruction acts would lead to an influx of African American voters for the republican party over the next 3 years and would eventually lead to the ratification of the 15th Amendment. It was also in 1868 that “Andrew Johnson was impeached” (Source 3). This could be due to the ongoing congressional debate on how far the reconstruction era should be

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