Between the events of history, there were so many other things that happened. Some events have been successful, while others have failed. In 1874 Reconstruction ended in Texas. This essay will list four successes as well as four failures during the Reconstruction. The four successes include: The Freedmen’s Bureau (Freedmen’s Bureau), The Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Amendments, The Enforcement Act of 1800, and most importantly, the freedom of the Slave. Some of these failures include: the Ku Klux Klan and sharecropping.
The Thirteenth Amendment liberated slaves. The fourteenth amendment gave equal rights to citizens and citizenship. The Fifteenth Amendment provided the right for everyone to vote. They were big victories because anyone who wasn’t white now had a voice in their life and they didn’t have to be afraid. These Amendments were helpful to anyone and are still useful today.
According to Abraham Lincoln’s 1865 article, “the Freedmen’s Bureau”, established March 3, 1865, was created to find, reunite, and help assimilate black people into white societies, provide education, and establish schools for all the free black men, woman, and children. By educating them and helping them learn about their rights, white people would no longer step on them simply because they were Black. The Freedmen’s Bureau will help them to learn what’s right or wrong. In 1865, Texas had 16 schools.
Enforcement Act of 1870 (also known as the United States Federal Law) was a law passed by the United States Congress that enforced Section 1 of the Fifteenth Amendment across the United States. This Act was the third enforcement act passed by Congress. The Enforcement Act of 1870 banned discrimination. The law prohibited them from judging based on race or color. The use of force, terror or bribery was also prohibited to stop people from voting based on their race. The thirteenth amendment, which freed slaves, was also strengthened.
Slavery was a failure. The liberation of slaves was a huge success. Slowly, but surely, progress was made. The freed slaves struggled to be free, even though they were initially not free. They were hampered by many obstacles such as racism, the KKK and black codes. There were people who wanted to kill them, make slaves of them, or keep their own. They were finally freed, could receive a proper education, marry whomever they chose, and do what they never did before.
Black Codes were passed by legislators in the South, including Texas. Black codes were passed by Democrats to restrict African American freedom. Women and men had to sign contracts for work, and if they quit their jobs, their money would be kept. The black codes were laws passed by Democrats that restricted African American’s freedom. Women and men had to sign labor contracts, and if they left their job, they would keep their money. Slaveholders sometimes freed slaves out of necessity, as they would not have been able to keep them for ever. Whites wanted control of the lives of blacks, even though they were now free. This caused a lot of chaos, because it was absurd to tell black people they were going to be liberated even though they had to still obey laws that still controlled them.
Ku Klux Klan members wore masks and robes while pretending to be Confederate soldiers. The KKK was afraid of African Americans and their power, because they did not want them to become slaves. The KKK used to burn down African American homes as a form of attack.
African Americans struggled hard. Sharecropping was required, where they worked crops for landowners. Sharecropping had left them in a chronic debt. They were in the lowest-paying jobs and had really bad housing. They were sick with cholera and smallpox. Also, infant mortality was high. Black marriages did not become legal until 1870. Their education and racism were terrible.
I believe so many events happened during Reconstruction. Not only was there a lot of suffrage in this period, but so much also success. I believe in the law of cause and effect. Life isn’t always fair. The African American or other people of colour were not treated fairly back in those days. Racism is still prevalent today. However, we hope for a better future and equality. Stop fighting between races, colors, and religions. You are. The Reconstruction Era was the process that led to our current situation.
In summary
“Abraham Lincoln.” The Freedmen’s Bureau: History for Kids ***, Siteseen Limited, 9 Jan. 2018, www.american-historama.org/1860-1865-civil-war-era/freedmens-bureau.htm.
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