With the formal end of slavery a new phase of the American history began – the so called era of Reconstruction. This period led to radical changes for the black community. In this essay I will try to outline that Reconstruction in the end did neither ‘reconstructed’ nor ‘constructed’ a better life, respectively democracy and freedom, for black Americans in the South. In order to do so I will work with examples from the Caribbean Islands like Haiti and Jamaica, where slavery was abolished only some years before, to give a better understanding of the situation in the United States.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- What did Reconstruction actually reconstruct?
- The Civil War and the radicalisation of the Republican Party
- The question of the relationship between blacks and whites
- Sharecropping and the control of ex-slave's work power
- The role of immigration and indentured labour
- The Black Codes of 1865 and 1866
- The impact of the Reconstruction Acts
- The rise of Redemption and the return of racial discrimination
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay explores the impact of Reconstruction on the lives of black Americans in the South, arguing that it ultimately failed to establish lasting freedom and democracy for this population. The essay uses historical examples from the Caribbean Islands to provide context and compare the situation in the United States.
- The failure of Reconstruction to create lasting equality for black Americans
- The impact of sharecropping and the control of ex-slave's work power
- The role of immigration and indentured labour in the South
- The significance of the Black Codes and their impact on black Americans
- The rise of Redemption and the return of racial discrimination
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The essay begins by outlining the radical changes that Reconstruction brought to the black community in the South. It argues that Reconstruction failed to "reconstructed" nor "constructed" a better life for black Americans.
The essay then discusses the impact of the Civil War on the Republican Party and the population in general. It highlights the demand for voting rights for black people and the opposition from the Democrats.
The essay then explores the four key questions that shaped the relationship between blacks and whites in the South: access to property and resources, control over work power, political participation, and the exclusion of former slaves from political power.
The essay examines the system of sharecropping and its role in maintaining control over black labor. It then discusses the efforts to attract European immigrants to the South and the failure of these attempts.
The essay further analyzes the Black Codes of 1865 and 1866, which aimed to control the work power of black people. It highlights the similarities between these codes and the labor laws in England.
The essay discusses the impact of the Reconstruction Acts and the efforts of the Freedman's Bureau to protect the rights of former slaves. It also highlights the regional differences in the implementation of Reconstruction policies.
The essay concludes by discussing the rise of Redemption and the return of racial discrimination in the South. It argues that the failure of Reconstruction and the disillusionment it created paved the way for the reemergence of white supremacy.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Key words include: Reconstruction, Black Codes, sharecropping, Emancipation Proclamation, Redemption, racial discrimination, civil rights, voting rights, labor laws, plantation economy, Caribbean Islands, Haiti, Jamaica, Southern states, Freedman's Bureau, Republican Party, Democrats.
- Quote paper
- Martin Kersten (Author), 2011, Race, Expansion & War, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/164990