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About the Reconstruction of America....

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Thaviry Kong

U.S History

Per.3

5/2/2021

The twelve years after the Civil War proved to be a difficult time for America. Called Reconstruction by historians, this era saw an increase of freedom for former slaves. However, there was also great resistance to change. In 1877 attempts to reconstruct the South officially ended, leaving white-only governments in power. The North was mostly responsible for the end of Reconstruction.

First, the North grew indifferent, especially to the events in the South. The Northerner voters were “weary of the ‘Negro Question’,” and “‘sick of the carpet-bag’ government.” It means that they were sick of the freedoms and equalities for black, and tired of the Northerners who moved South say things they don’t mean. Many Northerners, even President Grant, “shifted their attention to such national concerns as the Panic of 1873, and corruption in Grant’s administration (Doc. C).” They basically were too busy with the corruption to pay attention to the South.

Next, the North went to extreme lengths for voting rights. The Ku-Klux Klan (KKK), had threatened many voters to vote for the Democrats. They had resorted to whipping, bribing, and even killing the voters. Their reason was that freedmen “had voted for Grant and had carried the Negroes against them (Doc. B).” These were the lengths that they were willing to do for voting rights.

Last, Northerners didn’t think that freedmen were capable of being government officials. As for their reasons, “the blacks, as a people are unfitted for the proper exercise of political duties…” Also, since the freedmen can’t read or write, they won’t be able to

Thaviry Kong

U.S History

Per.3

5/2/2021

understand how things work. Many thought that the freedmen needed “a period … long enough for the black to have forgotten something of his condition as a slave and learned much of the true method of gaining honorable subsistence and of performing the duties of any position to which he might aspire (Doc. D).” The Northerners didn’t give the freedmen a chance to prove their worth.

After the Civil War, there was Reconstruction. The attempts on reconstructing the South, however, went down hill. The North grew indifferent to important events in the South, and went to extreme lengths for voting rights. Also, they didn’t think freedmen were capable of being government officials. In conclusion, the North was mostly responsible for the end of Reconstruction....