PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Goals of Reconstruction
- to rebuild society, along with damaged cities and towns after the Civil War.
- to help the freedmen to become part of the society.
- to reunite the union as a whole instead of separated as the South and the North.
Reconstruction Impact on Freedmen
- there was a lot of hate and hostility from the South towards accepting the freedmen into the Union.
- they eventually gained civil rights when the 14th and 15th amendments were passed; like citizenship and the right to vote (Document D: "Southern Politics").
The Freedmen's Bureau also had a large impact on the freedmen being accepted and brought in to the Union. They helped helped reunite families, educate the freedmen, support and protect the freedmen, and helped them succeed politically and socially (Document B: "Interview with its Director").
Democrats and Republicans struck a deal— the Compromise of 1877. Democrats agreed to declare Hayes the winner in exchange for a total withdrawal of U.S. troops from the South. Most people realized that if federal troops left, the Republican governments in the South would collapse, bringing Reconstruction to an end. In light of the compromise, Governor Chamberlain had no choice but to resign as South Carolina’s governor. The state’s government was now firmly in the hands of Hampton and the Democratic Party.
Even though reconstruction ended, it didn't end the racism towards blacks living in the US. For example, after reconstruction, the Jim Crow Laws were passed. This started segregation (in schools, hospitals, and other facilities), along with existing racism, making life even harder for the African Americans (Document F: "Jim Crow Laws").
