Reconstruction
U.S. History
Political Science
Examples of Reconstruction in the following topics:
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Reconstruction in the South
- Reconstruction from 1865-1877 was characterized by the conflicting views of President Johnson and Congress over Reconstruction policy.
- Grant supported Radical Reconstruction, using both the U.S.
- Hayes blocked efforts to overturn Reconstruction legislation.
- Historians generally refer to this period as Radical Reconstruction.
- Three Constitutional amendments, known as the Reconstruction Amendments, were adopted.
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Conclusion: The Effects of Reconstruction
- Reconstruction was a significant chapter in the history of civil rights in the United States, but most historians consider it a failure.
- The interpretation of Reconstruction has been a topic of controversy.
- Nearly all historians hold that Reconstruction ended in failure but for different reasons.
- Shaffer argued that the gains during Reconstruction for African Americans were not entirely extinguished.
- Reconstruction was never forgotten among the black community and remained as a source of inspiration.
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The Triumph of Congressional Reconstruction
- Radical Reconstruction was a period of the Reconstruction Era during which the Radical Republicans held control of Reconstruction policies.
- Radical Reconstruction was a period following the Civil War during which radical Republicans controlled Reconstruction policies, though they often clashed with President Johnson over pieces of legislation.
- They were generally in control of Reconstruction legislation, although they often had to compromise with the moderate Republicans.
- The "Reconstruction Amendments" (13th, 14th, and 15th) were adopted in the period from 1865-1870.
- With the Radicals in control, Congress passed four statutes known as Reconstruction Acts on March 2, 1867.
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The End of Reconstruction
- With the removal of Northern troops, the President had no method to enforce Reconstruction, thus this "back room" deal signaled the end of American Reconstruction.
- After assuming office on March 4, 1877, President Hayes removed troops from the capitals of the remaining Reconstruction states, Louisiana and South Carolina, allowing the Redeemers to have full control of these states.
- President Grant had already removed troops from Florida, before Hayes was inaugurated, and troops from the other Reconstruction states had long since been withdrawn.
- Grant as President of the United States, and ended Reconstruction.
- Hayes’s administration that ended Reconstruction
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Johnson's Battle with Congress
- The Radical Reconstruction era was a period when the Radical Republicans held control of Congress and directed Reconstruction efforts.
- The Reconstruction Amendments, the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments, were adopted between 1865 and 1870.
- Following Reconstruction, many blacks became active in voting and political life.
- With the Radicals in control, Congress passed four statutes, known as "Reconstruction Acts," on March 2, 1867.
- The first Reconstruction Act placed ten Confederate states under military control, grouping them into five military districts:
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Lincoln's Plan and Congress's Response
- While Lincoln took a moderate approach to Reconstruction, Congress sought to impose harsh terms on the South.
- Lincoln's plan successfully began the Reconstruction process of ratifying the Thirteenth Amendment in all states.
- The Radical Republican vision for Reconstruction, also called "Radical Reconstruction," was further bolstered in the 1866 election, when more Republicans took office in Congress.
- During this era, Congress passed three important Reconstruction amendments.
- Congress also passed the Reconstruction Acts.
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The Battle over Reconstruction
- 'Reconstruction' was a set of federal policies that addressed the status of the former Confederate states after the Civil War.
- Reconstruction policies were implemented when the Union Army controlled Confederate states.
- By December 1864, the Lincoln plan of Reconstruction had been enacted in Louisiana and the legislature sent two Senators and five Representatives to take their seats in Washington.
- However, Congress refused to count any of the votes from Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee, essentially rejecting Lincoln's moderate Reconstruction plan as too lenient.
- Over Johnson's vetoes, Congress passed three Reconstruction acts in 1867 which divided the southern states into five military districts under the control of the Union army.
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The Radical Record
- Historians generally refer to this period as "Radical Reconstruction."
- By December 6, 1865, the amendment was ratified, and Johnson considered Reconstruction over.
- They rejected Johnson's moderate Reconstruction efforts, and organized the Joint Committee on Reconstruction, a 15-member panel to devise more stringent Reconstruction requirements for the Southern states to be restored to the Union.
- The end of Reconstruction was a staggered process, and the period of Republican control ended at different times in different states.
- During Reconstruction, he fought to minimize the power of the ex-Confederates and to guarantee equal rights to the freedmen.
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Rebuilding Iraq
- Much of this work has been funded by the the Coalition Provisional Authority and the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund.
- While these international reconstruction efforts have produced some successes, problems have also emerged.
- Reconstruction efforts loomed for a nation with a severely degraded infrastructure.
- International reconstruction efforts began with the creation of the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund (IRRF) in April, 2003.
- Attacks, murders, bombings and armed vandalism are routine threats to reconstruction contractors.
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Legally Free, Socially Bound
- Though the Reconstruction Amendments guaranteed them equal rights, African-Americans experienced widespread discrimination after the War.
- Together these amendments were known as the Reconstruction Amendments.
- After the end of Reconstruction in 1877, African-American Southerners fared less well.
- While legally the Reconstruction Amendments had granted African Americans certain legal rights, in social practice they remained second-class citizens and were subject to discrimination and violence.
- Hayes withdrew Union troops from the South in 1877, white Democratic southerners acted quickly to reverse the groundbreaking advances of Reconstruction.