Reconstruction and the Issue of Equality after the Civil war Essay Example For Students

Reconstruction and the Issue of Equality after the Civil war Essay Reconstruction and the Issue of Equality: How Hope Was Not Fostered After the Civil War Reconstruction was the term given to the stage of American history where the Civil War was concluded and the country was forced to rebuild itself after the tragedies of a country turned against itself. Yet the major condition of Reconstruction was the nature of racism: The original goal of Reconstruction was to create a country where both white and black citizens were literal equals, rather than socially dissimilar. Indeed, those who believed strongly in Reconstruction insisted that: There had never been an age like this one before and there would never be one again. (McPherson: 1982) However, while the conditions of Reconstruction were suitable for the achievement of these goals, they did not come to pass. The overall conditions of racism in the country rose up, driving down the hope that black citizens and progressive whites felt concerning the state of racial relations. The states in the South were particularly opposed to the acceptance of blacks as their social and political equals. Soon after the Civil War was concluded and Reconstruction begun, new laws began to surface in U.S. politics. These laws made it quite evident that many people wished to promote a condition known as separate but equal, where blacks and whites were legally equal but could be kept physically separate. These conditions were known as the Jim Crow Acts, where the disfranchisement of the United States allowed for the promotion of acts that kept blacks and whites completely apart. According to legal standards, there must be comparable facilities for both races, but these facilities need never be used by either blacks nor whites, depending on which facilities were discussed. The separation went so far as to extend not just to separate restrooms but all the way down to separate mirrors in public places! One black writer remarked on the situation that: The extraordinary thing about the wall that fear built is that it is of so recent an origin. There were no separate but equal privies in slavery time. Nor, as C. Vann Woodward has shown in his excellent book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow, were there separate but equal rest rooms for a considerable period thereafter. (Foner: 1989) These codes were protested many times by the black communities, which were rapidly gaining some form of power in the North but were basically little above freed slaved in the South. This was also represented in the Black Codes, or a series of laws that were believed to establish order in the African- American communities. These Black Codes were used to create legally- binding states of wedlock for blacks living in relationships, or those who the white public presumed to be living in such relationships. These laws also created legal protocols for the ownership of children of black parents. However, above all else the Black Codes prohibited the marriage of white people and black people. In addition to this, the Black Codes also established the legality of actions taken by black citizens, and the actions that could be taken against them if it was found that they had somehow violated a law. The Black Codes first went into effect in South Carolina in 1865 and were quickly adapted by many other Southern states. Perhaps the worst part of Reconstruction, however, was the fact that the U.S. government did not go to any steps to promote or preserve the situation created to aid the back citizens of America. (Stampp: 1967) While the black citizens finally believed that they would be treated as equals in the eyes of the law, and were indeed even promised this through the deeds of Reconstruction, the overall state of the matter was that there was absolutely no enforcement of these progressive laws. The final say in the matter was that the white citizens of the United States determined the extent of the Reconstruction, and in many places the whites were racist and not in favor of promoting inequality. The final result of this was that racism was fostered in face of government statutes that were supposed to completely destroy such behaviors. .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf , .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf .postImageUrl , .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf , .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf:hover , .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf:visited , .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf:active { border:0!important; } .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf:active , .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc1a852061e26b4cf36831726e0da86bf:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Grumman X-29 By Pace Essay In conclusion, Reconstruction in the United States created a situation that greatly encouraged the black citizens to believe that equality had finally come to pass. However, rapid changes in the behavior of the white citizens established separate but equal laws that destroyed this hope. Bibliography Foner, E. (1989) Reconstruction: Americas Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877. New York: HarperCollins. McPherson, J. M. (1982) Ordeal by Fire: The Civil War and Reconstruction. New York: Viking. Stampp, K. (1967) The Era .