The Failure of Reconstruction: Examining the Causes of its Downfall

The Civil War greatly affected America through destruction of land, segregation of races, and the poverty of many. The Reconstruction soon following truly showed how poorly America tried to "bring everyone back together." Reconstruction was a point in time where America tried to become a full running country again. This was not as easy as it might sound. There were around four million former black slaves with no where to live or work. Almost all whites did not accept them. There were many different plans floating around as of what to do with the former slaves, many of them were not beneficial. Blacks began entering communities with no respectful neighbors. Segregation turned violent with lynchings, burnings, and beatings. Organizations were formed, and taxes were created so that blacks could not share their own opinions. In many ways, it is seen that the Reconstruction Era was a major failure for America because of poll taxes, grandfather clauses, the Ku Klux Klan, and enforced black codes.

The prohibition of blacks and their voting privileges was a major failure during reconstruction after the Civil War. Poll tax was America's way of denying blacks of their right to vote. Poll taxes made is so that people now had to pay to vote. (www.u-s-history.com) This was a huge restriction for the blacks from voting because they did not have the money to pay for these taxes, so they ended up having no say in the government. The South did not let blacks work for a high wage, they normally were traded food or shelter around this time for working. No money was being pulled in for the blacks, and therefore, they could not vote. However, poll taxing was not the only way America prohibited blacks from voting. Grandfather clause's and literacy tests were also put into place to keep whites at a higher power. (www.blackpast.org) The grandfather clause allowed potential white voters to avoid the literacy tests, poll taxes, and other tactics designed to disenfranchise southern blacks.

Blacks did not have the same privileges that whites had with the grandfather clause, so they were stuck with following the rules set on them. The literacy test was used to keep people of color, and sometimes poor whites, from voting. Government officials figure if you can't afford an education, like most black and poor whites, then you can't learn to read or write; in this case, they would fail the test. Even if the person got all sixty eight questions correct, the official reviewing the test could still fail the person because of their race. Whites began to do everything in their power to stop the blacks from becoming equal by any means. With poll taxes, grandfather clauses, and literacy tests, they could suppress the black population from voicing their opinion.

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Taxing the poor freed slaves was not the only reason that Reconstruction was a failure. Organizations like the Ku Klux Klan were put together to "punish” the blacks. The Ku Klux Klan is a secret organization of white supremacists who intimidate African Americans in an attempt to sustain white rule. (www.history.com) It was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee and extended in almost every southern state by 1870. The most notorious state for Ku Klux Klan activity was South Carolina. The members of the Klan would burn crosses, hurt and kill the blacks, and protest against them. They would also bomb black schools and churches.

They are known for wearing their infamous outfits of long robes and hoods. They mainly made their attacks during the night as to have the look of a secret organization. Nathan Bedford Forrest was chosen as the first leader of the Klan. The Klan rejected President Andrew Johnson's reconstruction policies. Johnson's proclamation disenfranchised all former military and civil officers of the Confederacy and everyone who owned property that was worth twenty thousand dollars or more and made their land liable for confiscation. Though the Klan was not very organized and did not have a great leadership, they were widely known. They targeted colored people because they wanted all white rule, and that was all they would ever believe. The Klan slowed Reconstruction because they targeted the blacks and Reconstruction was meant to rebuild the country with the blacks a part of it now. The Ku Klux Klan was a major failure in the Reconstruction Era because it did the exact opposite of bringing America back together, it separated into race.

The black codes were a series of laws that were designed to restrict freed blacks' activity and ensure their availability as a labor force now that slavery had been abolished. The black codes enforced blacks to work in condition just like they had as slaves. (www.history-world.org) They were treated poorly and they had a poor conditioned place to work. Basically, they were living back on the plantations, however this time, with a payment. They would be given a small portion of land they could have as long as they maintained the crops. They had to pay rent to live on the land.

The money they made wasn't enough to pay off their rent and they were not allowed to leave the property till the paid it off. So, many of the blacks were tied to the land they were on because they just didn't have the money to do otherwise. The blacks had to sign a yearly labor contract to ensure that they followed the rules that were given. Many of the slaves were illiterate and did not even know what they were reading. When the black codes were passed, the blacks were furious. Many of the blacks resisted because they did not want to be treated like they had been previously. Black codes were created because white people started to feel that the blacks were gaining all of the rights that the whites had.

Many different ideas, taxes, organizations, etc., were created during Reconstruction to suppress the African American population from becoming equal to the white population. To make sure their opinions weren't heard, poll taxes, grandfather clauses, and literacy tests were created. To "punish” them and make them feel scared and unwanted, organizations were created like the Ku Klux Klan. Finally, to make sure they weren't getting too much money or better homes, black codes were put together to tie them down to their previous plantations. Blacks during the Reconstruction Era were treated extremely poor and had no say in anything that was going on. Sadly, these are the reasons that Reconstruction was a failure in America's hands.

Citations

1. www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/exhibits/reconstruction/timeline.html
2. www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/reconstruction
3. www.ushistory.org/us/35.asp
4. www.u-s-history.com/pages/h425.html

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