preview

Reconstruction Dbq Essay

Decent Essays

Shortly after the civil war, the southern states were left in ruins. However, by Lincoln’s order, they started a process of recreation known as Reconstruction. Most of the southern places were rebuilt and the economy slowly recovering. Slavery is no more, but the south will not accept them as their equals. In many ways, people believe that reconstruction did help the slaves/colored, but on the other hand many believe it didn’t change the situation at all. African Americans are better off during the reconstruction era than they were before the civil war. After the civil war and during Reconstruction Era, slavery is abolished by the 13th amendment and given rights to all male slaves from 14th and 15th amendment. The 13th states that slavery is officially abolish while the 14th gives equal rights to male slaves( not women as they are still treated like properties) and the 15th gave …show more content…

They passed voting restrictions and 'Black Codes' and Jim Crow laws to suppress the rights and opportunities of African Americans at the state and local levels”(Document 2). This quote shows how the southern whites won’t accept the blacks as equals. The Black Codes specifically restricted their freedom and make them work with a lower wage than whites. The Jim Crow laws also led and enforced segregation between the whites and colored. The colored and the whites have separated places in public as in water fountain, Movie Theaters, bathrooms, trains, and other public places. They also passed extreme voting requirements for the blacks in order to vote to stop them from voting such as the grandfather clauses (which you must have a father or grandfather that voted before) and vote taxes and etc. These are the loopholes that the south used to restrict blacks and bypass the 14th and 15th amendment. This didn’t improve the lives of many

Get Access