The Civil War was a very important event in American History that affected the entire nation. According to Foner Reconstruction is “the rebuilding of a shattered nation” (Foner, 521) and it would prove to be a challenging era for politicians, former slaves, white northerners and white southerners. The purpose of the reconstruction was to rebuild the United States so that it could be a “wholly free” country for all of its citizens (522). However, the unwillingness for many in the south to accept black people as their equals is what caused the reconstruction era to fail.
The reconstruction era established a group called the Freedmen’s Bureau in 1865 whose purpose was to “establish schools, provide aid to the poor and aged, settle disputes between whites and blacks and among freedpeople, and secure for former slaves and white Unionist equal treatment before the courts” (528). Marshall Harvey Twitchell was an ex Union veteran who was a part of the Freedmen’s Bureau who had moved to the south in hopes of making changes between racial relations. According to Twitchell, his “duty was to inform both black and white of their changed relations from master to slave to employer and employee, giving them the additional information that it was the order of the government that old master and slave should remain where they had been” (pbs.org, C1). It was because of Unionist or carpetbaggers-- northerners who made the south their home after the war (Foner, 546) like Twitchell that caused widespread dissent by white southerners.
However, the Freedmen’s Bureau was only one aspect of the Reconstruction era that caused many southern whites to resent the new laws that were being implemented. Believing that neither northern or southern whites would accept black suffrage, moderate Republicans accepted Johnson’s plan, which was extremely lenient on the southern states and disenfranchised blacks, with the belief that it was flawed so they proposed two bills in 1866. The first was to extend the Freedmen’s Bureau, and the second was the Civil Rights Bill—it defined all persons borne in the United States as citizens and spelled out rights they were to enjoy without regard to race (537). In March 1867, Congress adopted the Reconstruction act, “which temporarily divided the South into five military districts and called for the creation of new state governments, with black men given the right to vote” (538). This therefore led to the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment which stated all persons born in the United States were citizens, and it empowered the federal government to protect the rights of all Americans (537). This of course was important because there was no longer the issue of whether black people born in the United States rights were protected and it prohibited states from “denying them equal protection of the law” (537). But, it is very important to know that the Reconstruction act was only adopted by congress because they were upset by the policies of President Johnson (Foner).
The ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution—Which grants African American men the right to vote by declaring that 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” (The Library of Congress, C1). This action did not only upset the men of the south it also upset many of the feminist who were fighting for women’s suffrage as well. For instance, Susan B Anthony in 1872 went to the polls in Rochester, NY and cast a ballot in the presidential election, citing her citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment (Francis, C1). However, she was arrested, convicted and fined $100, which she never paid (Francis, C1). Yet, it is imperative to recognize that it was not just the southern states that were affected by these drastic changes. They applied to the north as well “The Reconstruction amendments voided many northern laws discriminating on the basis of race” (Foner, 540).
Therefore, in these instances we can see how the process of reconstructing the nation in these radical ways led to it failing. But, one of the most important groups, the American Anti-Slavery Society, that helped to fight for the rights of the disenfranchised black people disbanded. One of its members, veteran abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, stated “this wonderful, quiet, sudden transformation of four millions of human beings from…the auction-block to the ballot-box” (540). This also was an important and influential reason why the reconstruction failed. Another important reason reconstruction failed is because many of the poor whites who had initially supported the Republican Party no longer supported them. The realization that their situation was not getting better with all of the new reconstruction acts that were passed made them very resentful towards blacks as well (548). Yet, according to Foner, the “most basic reason for opposition to Reconstruction, however, was that most white southerners could not accept the idea of former slaves voting, holding office, and enjoying equality before the law” (549). Thus began the “reign of terror” in the south against both blacks and white Republicans (549). The most notorious group for committing heinous crimes against supporters of Reconstruction and blacks were the Ku Klux Klan. They targeted both Unionist and blacks without regard to the law, and were able to place fear in all of those against old southern values. The attacks had gotten so bad that the southern governments called upon Washington for help. Once President Grant dispatched federal marshals, with troops in some areas, they were able to disband the organization (550).
However, it was during this time that northerners began to falter in support of Reconstruction. It also led to the widespread resurgence of racism in the north (551). Also, “the country plunged into a severe economic depression” and the issues of reconstruction were no longer important to Republicans (552). By the election of 1876 it was clear that the north was no longer in favor of Reconstruction as they began electing Confederate’s and southerners back to positions in the government. Because these officials were given these posts again there were more killings of Republicans and blacks. Even though there had always been southerners discouraging blacks from voting, it was more widespread and the federal government no longer helped to protect their rights. It was clear that the north’s resurgence of racism had catapulted hate in both poor and wealthy whites. It was during this time that we saw white people coming together in the decision that black people were still unacceptable and not worthy of equal rights (552).
As a result, after discussing all of these events it is very clear to see why Reconstruction failed. Although the federal government enacted the Civil Rights Bill, the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments it was only done so to defy President Johnson. They believed that his plan was flawed and he would not listen to Congress and eventually led to the Radicals and Moderates working together to pass these Reconstruction Acts, and to the impeachment of Johnson (537). Yet, in passing these laws they were trying to improve the position of blacks, and at the same time deeply disenfranchising southern and northern whites (552). With the passing of each law it angered southern whites and took out revenge on white Unionist and black people. Also, even though laws were passed to include black people into equal rights in the eyes of the law, they denied women suffrage (543). The Reconstruction was successful in amending laws into the Constitution that gave freedom to black people, and acknowledged their rights as U.S citizens, and even the right to vote for black men; however, it completely neglected a race of people who were once the masters of said slaves. There was no transition period for anyone and this I believe helped the defeat of Reconstruction eminent.
Works Cited
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An American History. New York: W. W. Norton and Company Inc, 2009. Print
Francis, Roberta W. The History Behind the Equal Rights Amendment: The Equal Rights Amendment. The Equal Rights Amendment. Web 5 May, 2011. http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/era.htm, 2011.
Library of Congress. The 15th Amendment to the Constitution. Primary Documents in American History. Web 8 Apr. 2011. http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/era.htm
Pbs.org. African in American. The Civil War and emancipation 1861-1865. Web 1998. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2967.html
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