These men were of the Republican Party, and they called themselves Radicals. First, they were mad at the south, blaming them for the Civil War that had just ended. Ergo, they wanted to punish them and make them pay. Secondly, they wanted to help all of the near four million slaves who were now free men after the war.
There were three main Radical Republican leaders. Thaddeus Stevens was a very political man, holding a place in the House of Representatives. His main concern was the economic opportunity for slaves.
Thinking almost on these same lines was Charles Sumner. He was a senator who fought mainly for political rights for African Americans, as well as for their citizenship. Well, for men that is. Finally there was President Andrew Johnson.
In Andrew Johnson was impeached. All though he was not removed from office at this time, he was basically without authority. It was at this point that Congress really stepped in with their own plan of Reconstruction. The Reconstruction Act finally passed by congress had two main points to it. First, troops were required to move in and take up residence in the confederate states of the south. Secondly, any state that wanted back into the union was only allowed to do so when and if they changed their 14th amendment.
They had to agree that all men born in the U. Later, in , black men were also granted the vote…but this would come later. Now, the Reconstruction Act looked really good on paper, but as usually happens in politics somebody rocked the boat. The shake up took place in the presidential election.
In the end, the result was the Compromise of People were in the streets all the time demanding their rights. This helped to push the federal government toward a political policy of greater equality.
Sixteen African-American men served in Congress during Reconstruction. Their views were important. Their speeches were important. Down to even the basic level of government, justices of the peace, school board officials, local commissioners, African-Americans held all sorts of offices in Reconstruction.
By and large, they did a very capable job. Law enforcement and its impact on African-Americans was debated. You had in in , the Memphis riot, the New Orleans riot, which were white assaults on Black communities, often led by the police. The idea of who should be a citizen, voter suppression and homegrown terrorism all continue in the U. Skip to main content. Listen Now. Featured Audio. Actually, many historians now say Reconstruction started well before the end of the Civil War — as early as — and ended around the turn of the 20th century.
Why ? The owners simply left their slaves behind, and the victory presented U. The key to the new understanding of the era, historians say, is looking at it through the eyes of those 4 million. In a bid to help Americans make sense of the period, the National Park Service last year commissioned a wide-ranging study to identify key places in the story of Reconstruction, an era almost entirely absent from the record of important places, historians say.
The park service has hired two historians to lead the effort. Incidentally, nearly 40 years later, when Wilson became the first U. These buildings have been torn down and long forgotten. She says the park service has solicited information about sites where Reconstruction could be interpreted and has already received hundreds of suggestions. In a way, Masur says, the effort — like that of Reconstruction itself — seeks to shift the balance of power. She recalls a research trip she took once to Vicksburg and Natchez, Miss.
For example, one historic plantation outside Natchez, Miss. The event had been covered in at least one local newspaper and was well-known to local historians. Visitors go to see the historic home, its period furnishings and the natural beauty surrounding it, Masur says.
0コメント