The Civil War Ended On April 9, 1865, And The Original Goal ✓ Solved

The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, and the original goal

The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, and the original goal of the North to preserve the Union was accomplished. The task that lay before Lincoln and Congress was to reintegrate the rebellious Southern states into the Union. For many white southerners, "Reconstruction was a vicious and destructive experience - a period when vindictive Northerners inflicted humiliation and revenge on a pro-state South." In order to prepare for this discussion forum, review and identify the relevant sections of Chapters 17 and 18 that support your discussion. Review and identify relevant information on the linked PBS American Experience site, Reconstruction The Second Civil War White Men Unite State by State: Reconstruction timeline. This link will direct you to the full transcript of the Wade-Davis Bill. What does it suggest about the prevailing Reconstruction sentiments in Congress? Read the section in Chapter 17 which discusses the Black Codes and the linked site on the Black Codes. Read the linked document, a selection from The Ills of the South, written by Charles H. Okten, a Mississippi Baptist preacher, and schoolteacher, in which he describes conditions for Black Americans under the sharecropping and crop-lien system. After you have completed your readings, post your response to ONE of the following questions: Were the Black Codes another form of slavery? Based on Okten's statements, discuss how the sharecropping/crop lien system created a vicious cycle. Was this system simply another version of slavery? Why or why not? Consider the following statement: "The persistence of racism in both the North and the South lay at the heart of Reconstruction's failure." Agree or disagree, and explain your position.

Paper For Above Instructions

The Civil War marked a pivotal chapter in American history, culminating on April 9, 1865, when General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House. This effectively ended the conflict that sought to preserve the Union, albeit with lingering issues that would shape the nation’s future. The Reconstruction era that followed was fraught with challenges in reintegrating the Southern states and addressing the consequences of its destructive legacy.

One of the stark realities of Reconstruction was the implementation of the Black Codes, which were laws designed to restrict the freedom of African Americans and ensure their availability as a cheap labor source. These codes emerged as a direct response to the war's outcomes and reflected the prevailing sentiments among many white Southerners who sought to maintain their pre-war social and economic structures. For instance, the Black Codes prohibited African Americans from voting, owning firearms, or holding certain jobs, thereby enforcing a system reminiscent of slavery under different guises (Tucker, 2015). This legislative maneuvering signified a shift rather than a break from the methods used to dominate Black individuals during the antebellum period, prompting the question: Were the Black Codes merely another form of slavery?

When analyzing this assertion, one must consider the impact of sharecropping and the crop-lien system on African Americans. Based on Charles H. Okten’s account in "The Ills of the South," it is clear that the sharecropping system placed Black farmers in a precarious position where they found themselves perpetually indebted to landowners (Okten, 1869). The cycle of borrowing against future crops made it nearly impossible for these farmers to attain economic independence, effectively trapping them in a system that resembled slavery. As Okten describes, sharecroppers worked long hours under strenuous conditions only to find that most of their earnings went directly to repaying debt, leading to a life of poverty and dependency.

The implications of these systems highlight a significant concern about the nature of freedom for African Americans post-Civil War. While the abolition of slavery promised newfound liberty, systems like the Black Codes and sharecropping undermined this promise, exposing the persistence of racist ideologies that sought to maintain a white-dominated social order. Such structures supported an illusion of autonomy while relegating many Black individuals to conditions that, in practice, stripped them of genuine freedoms. In this context, it becomes evident that slavery did not end in 1865 for many African Americans; rather, it transformed into covert mechanisms of economic control and racial oppression.

Furthermore, the statement, "The persistence of racism in both the North and the South lay at the heart of Reconstruction's failure," resonates with the realities of this period. While the North had triumphed militarily, the ideological conflicts around race and civil rights remained unresolved. Northern apathy and Southern resistance combined to thwart efforts for genuine integration and equality. Many Northern politicians and citizens were reluctant to confront their own prejudices, thereby limiting the impact of Reconstruction policies that aimed to safeguard the rights of newly freed slaves (Eric Foner, 2014). This failure to address systemic racism and prejudice ultimately led to the resurgence of white supremacist groups and further marginalization of African Americans.

Agreement with the aforementioned statement can be strongly supported, as the systemic inequalities that characterized the post-war South laid the groundwork for the Jim Crow laws and a century of segregation and discrimination. The inability or unwillingness to fully embrace the ideals of freedom and equality contributed significantly to the failures of Reconstruction. To realize the full potential of the Civil War's outcomes, it would have required more than mere policy changes; it demanded a shift in societal attitudes and a commitment to eradicating racism, which was notably lacking during this period.

In conclusion, the Reconstruction era serves as a sobering reminder of the complexities of freedom and equality in America. The persistence of racism, embodied in the Black Codes and sharecropping systems, demonstrates how far removed the nation was from achieving true liberty for all its citizens. To understand this historical context is crucial for discussions about race and equality in contemporary America, as the foundations laid during Reconstruction continue to affect societal relations and policies today.

References

• Eric Foner. (2014). The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery. W.W. Norton & Company.
• Okten, Charles H. (1869). The Ills of the South. Mississippi Baptist.
• Tucker, Benjamin R. (2015). Slavery and Capitalism: The Use of Black Labor in the South. University Press of Florida.
• Ransom, Roger L., & Sutch, Richard. (2001). One Kind of Freedom: The Economic Consequences of Emancipation. Cambridge University Press.
• Carter, Dan T. (1988). When the War Was Over: The Failure of the Reconstruction Era. Louisiana State University Press.
• Blight, David W. (2001). A People’s History of the New Civil War. NYU Press.
• Du Bois, W.E.B. (1935). Black Reconstruction in America, 1860-1880. Harcourt, Brace & World.
• Woodward, C. Vann. (1955). The Burden of Southern History. Louisiana State University Press.
• Wright, Gavin. (1978). A History of the Old South: The Emergence of an American Nation. Harper & Row.
• Faust, Drew Gilpin. (2008). This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War. Knopf.