Reconstruction Report: Impact of the Civil War on American Society

This report examines the Reconstruction era following the American Civil War, focusing on the challenges and transformations that reshaped American society. It discusses Abraham Lincoln's initial plans, the role of President Andrew Johnson, and the impact of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. The report highlights the Black Codes, the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, and the efforts of the Redeemers to restore white supremacy. It also references Eric Foner's work, emphasizing the divisions and unrest during the Gilded Age and the ongoing struggle for freedom and equality. The report underscores the complexity of bridging cultural divisions and achieving the complete abolition of slavery, which was a long-term process.

Running Head: RECONSTRUCTION
RECONSTRUCTION
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1RECONSTRUCTION
The Southern United States after the Civil war was almost completely destroyed.
They bore the brunt of the war with farms and plantations that were burned down and with
agriculture completely eliminated, the situation over there was of complete disarray. The
Reconstruction of the South was a remarkable milestone is American history because of
various changes, which will be explored in this paper.
Abraham Lincoln proposed the reconstruction of the South to help them rejoin the
union, they had previously left and pardon any Southerner who joins the Union. He planned
to make slavery illegal. However, he was assassinated at the end of the Civil War and the
total Reconstruction was overseen by the next president, Andrew Johnson. Johnson identified
himself as the champion of his state’s “honest yeomen” and a foe of large planters, whom he
described as a “bloated, corrupted aristocracy.”
However, he was unsuitable for the job because of his deeply racist views. The
congress disagreed to pass laws for the southern states and implemented harsher laws but the
he made policies which were made official by the 13th Amendment. It abolished slavery,
made the south swear allegiance to the Unions and facilitated rebuilding of the South but it
pardoned the political and property rights of everyone except the slaves.
However, against his policies, The Black Codes were passed by the Southern
Government, to help the former slaves in regulating their lives. According to Foner, “These
laws granted blacks certain rights, such as legalized marriage, ownership of property, and
limited access to the courts. But they denied them the rights to testify against whites, to serve
on juries or in state militias, or to vote.”
The 14th Amendment defines and ensured rights of the citizens in USA and overturned
the Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) by the Supreme Court that stated the black people were not
eligible for citizenship and finally the 15th amendment strictly prohibited the governments

2RECONSTRUCTION
from denying US Citizenship to any kind of person based solely on Race, Color or a history
of being a slave.
After the Civil war, Ku Klux Klan, a secret organization set out to restore White
Supremacy. It was a part of the Insurgent Violence which was highly related to the effort of
various veterans to control the dramatic changes in the society. They used violence against
the black and their allies. The situation of the states was still difficult. Along with them even
the redeemers which was yet another white political coalition tried to pursue redemption.
They seeked to oust the blacks and restore rule with the whites still the supreme.
Foner notes that “America’s Gilded Age witnessed deep and sometimes violent
divisions over the definition of freedom in a rapidly industrializing society.” Unrest was
evident and soon, “in the 1890s, the nation would face its gravest crisis since the Civil War,
and the boundaries of freedom would once again be redrawn.” Bridging Cultural division
within the society and ensuring the final abolishment of slavery was a challenge that would
take years to overcome.

3RECONSTRUCTION
References
Foner, E. (2013). Give Me Liberty! An American History: Seagull Fourth Edition (Vol. 1).
WW Norton & Company.