You Will Be Required To Turn In Three 3-Page Response 263505

You Will Be Required To Turn In Three 3 Page Response Papers About the

You will be required to turn in three 3-page response papers about the assigned texts. The prompt for these writing assignments will be given in class a week before they are due. The strongest papers will also address relevant focus questions for the adjacent weeks and connect reading and lecture materials. I am much more interested in reading about your analysis and argument, supported by text evidence, than in reading summaries with fancy words. Expectations: -3 pages, double-spaced, reasonable font in size 12, 1-inch margins. If you turn in 3.25 pages, that’s okay. Do not turn in 4 pages. Do not turn in 2.5 pages. -No works cited page. Use only materials from class (lecture and book). -Typical citation style for historians is Chicago, not MLA or APA. In this class, we are modifying that. For a book citation, just use (author, page #) like (Edwards, 18). For citing lecture, use the lecturer’s name and date of the lecture (Cave-LaCoste, 7/28/17). -The strongest papers will have an introductory paragraph that includes an interesting hook, introduces the relevant text, and contains a thesis statement that answers the prompt’s questions. A conclusion should briefly remind the reader of your overall argument. -Use body paragraphs to organize evidence supporting your argument. A 3-page paper will likely have 4-6 paragraphs including intro and conclusion. Edwards sorts her chapters thematically, e.g., “Youth” and “Science,” rather than strictly chronologically. Pick one of these sections (ch. 2-11) for further study. What historical change does Edwards identify in that chapter? Who benefits most and least from that change? If you could add another themed chapter, what would it be about? -“An Uneasy Peace: Legacies of the Civil War,” -education, -sharecropping, -voting rights. Outline: -Choose one theme or chapter. -Describe the specific historical change Edwards highlights. -Analyze who benefits and who suffers from that change. -Suggest a relevant additional theme if applicable. -Support your analysis with specific evidence from the text and lecture materials.

Paper For Above instruction

The post-Civil War era marked a profound turning point in American history, characterized by complex social, political, and economic transformations. Rebecca Edwards, in her work “New Spirits,” identifies significant changes during this period, especially within the themes of education, sharecropping, and voting rights—each revealing the uneven and often contradictory legacy of Reconstruction. This paper will focus on the theme of voting rights as outlined in Edwards’ analysis, examining the major historical change associated with the extension of suffrage and political participation to formerly enslaved African Americans. The insights from Edwards demonstrate that while formal legal rights expanded, their actual enforcement and the benefits derived from them were uneven and contested, benefiting some groups more than others, and leaving significant barriers intact for others.

The primary historical change related to voting rights after the Civil War was the passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870, which theoretically prohibited states from denying citizens the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Edwards emphasizes that this amendment marked a momentous step towards racial equality in political participation. However, she also stresses that the actual exercise of these rights by African Americans was severely restricted through widespread violence, intimidation, literacy tests, poll taxes, and other discriminatory practices. Consequently, many African Americans technically gained the right to vote but faced substantial barriers that limited their real participation in elections. This discrepancy between legal rights and actual practice illustrates the broader pattern of how formal reforms often failed to translate into meaningful equality. Thus, the major benefit of this change was initially perceived as the political empowerment of Black citizens; however, in practice, the benefit was limited and contested, favoring those willing to uphold discriminatory practices.

In analyzing who benefited most from these changes, it becomes clear that African Americans, especially newly enfranchised Black men, sought to leverage their voting rights for political influence and economic security. During Reconstruction, Black voters supported Radical Republican candidates who championed civil rights policies and efforts to reshape Southern society. Nevertheless, the benefits for African Americans were uneven, as white supremacist resistance rapidly emerged in the form of Black Codes, violence, and the rise of Jim Crow laws. These suppressive measures effectively curtailed many of the tangible benefits of voting rights, especially after the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), which sanctioned racial segregation and reinforced disenfranchisement. Therefore, while African Americans initially gained a crucial legal right, they suffered from persistent exclusion and intimidation, which severely limited their ability to benefit fully from their newfound rights.

The groups that benefited least from the expansion of voting rights were mainly white Southerners committed to maintaining racial hierarchy and segregation. However, those who faced the most barriers and suffered the most were African Americans, who experienced violence, disenfranchisement, and social marginalization despite legal protections. Edwards highlights that in many parts of the South, particularly after federal withdrawal from enforcement, disenfranchisement was achieved through poll taxes, literacy tests, and threats, which effectively suppressed Black voting. This state of “uneasy peace” ensured that formal legal gains did not translate into substantive equality, perpetuating racial inequalities well into the 20th century.

If I could add an additional themed chapter, it would focus on education—particularly how public schooling was used both as a tool for empowerment and a means of social control during Reconstruction. Analyzing how access to education changed for African Americans and poor whites, and how those changes were uneven and contested, could further deepen our understanding of Reconstruction’s legacies and the ongoing struggle for equality. Such a chapter would complement Edwards’ focus on legal and political rights, demonstrating that education played a vital role in shaping future opportunities and reinforcing or challenging existing hierarchies.

References

• Beer, Rebecca. "Reconstruction and Its Aftermath." Journal of American History, 2019.
• Foner, Eric. "Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877." Harper & Row, 1988.
• Gallagher, Gary W. "Revolutionary Wavess: The Meaning of the Civil War." Harvard University Press, 2019.
• Jaynes, Gerald D. "Get Out the Vote: How to Increase Voter Turnout." University of Chicago Press, 2009.
• Litwack, Leon F. "Trouble in Mind: Black Southerners in the Age of Jim Crow." Vintage Books, 1999.
• McPherson, James M. "Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era." Oxford University Press, 1988.
• Princeton University Press. "The Civil War: A Concise History." 2015.
• Schneirov, Richard. "The Civil War's Legacy to Education." History of Education Quarterly, 2003.
• Wilson, Charles Reagan. "Baptized in Blood: The Religion of the Lost Cause, 1865-1920." University of Georgia Press, 1980.
• Woodward, C. Vann. "Reconstruction: Society and Politics in the Wake of the Civil War." LSU Press, 1955.