... ( Modernism Period) 2 Initial reactions Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery to Reconstruction (1934) is an art piece painted by Aaron Douglas. He was an African-American painter during the Harlem Renaissance movement. As the title suggests, the painting is a description of the history of African-Americans from slavery through reconstruction time. The art piece is divided up into different sections and highlights the racism toward African-Americans. On the left side of the painting you see black people with drums and a crop growing in the background. This section of the painting shows a time where Africans were free and not slaves. Moving a little to the right, we see oppression and slavery through the black people being hunched over in the painting. Towards the middle of the art piece we see a person standing up pointing and showing the desire to fight against slavery and to the right of him you see people with their fists up and ready to fight against the oppression and slavery. This piece of art explores Negro heritage from left to right. I like this piece of art because of the soft colors and the neutral appearance of the silhouettes of people. This painting describes African-American culture and their struggle to end slavery. Everything in this painting describes life of African-American and their struggle in the 1900’s. Historical Context Douglas’s painting Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery to Reconstruction provided a big...
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...How promising was the period of reconstruction for African Americans? (50 marks) After the end of the civil war in 1865 and the abolition of slavery, a period of reconstruction followed where by the government hoped to seize control of the south and rebuild America. Some historians argue this was a promising period for the newly freed slaves where as others would argue it was a crisis and thus a negative period for the African Americans. When looking at reconstruction one must consider the economic, legal, social and political impacts it had on the African Americans. One argument that suggests that reconstruction was promising for the African Americans was the passing of the 14th amendment. This stated that all persons born or naturalized in America were citizens. Not only did this overturn the black codes but also meant that states could not limit the right of citizenship for African Americans, resulting in them having the full protection of the law. Moreover the passing of this law secured the rights for black children (from two freed slaves) as well as securing the rights for black Americans in the future. Therefore providing strong evidence to why reconstruction was promising for AA’s. Furthermore, the 15th amendment was also passed during the period of reconstructions which intended to secure the voting rights for AA’s. As a result of this 700,000 AA’s registered to vote, not only was this a success for AA’s, some historians argue that it was also a big success for the...
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...To what extent did Reconstruction (1865-77) result in progress for African Americans by 1917? Reconstruction did result in some progress for African Americans, particularly in the short term, following the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments resulting in immediate progress for African Americans, but over the period of Reconstruction and after the reintegration of southern states to the union the amount of progress reduced therefore in the long term there was very little change. Very little long term progress particularly in politics and social rights, yet some economic progress due to segregation-but this is less significant due to the negative results of segregation. Political rights were the area where there was the most regression of progress...
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...The Radical Reconstruction period from1868 to1877 provided suffrage to the African American community in tremendous ways. This Reconstruction period provided new prospects for the African American community for example, voting, labor, ownership of property, education and restoration of family life. In addition, to providing many opportunities the Radical Reconstruction made it very challenging for African American’s to take advantage of their “freedom”. In this paper my aim is to prove that African American women were relentless individuals, who controlled voting in southern African American communities through the use of their counterparts. Furthermore, African American women overcame the challenges that came along with the opportunities’ that were given during the reconstruction period, they utilized many strategies particularly violent ones. Elsa Barkley Brown article The Labor of Politics, substantially supports my argument. Brown provides numerous testimonies and examples of how African American women manipulated the vote through African American men. Throughout the article Brown uses African American women to emphasize her argument that ex-slaves developed their politics differently from their white Republicans allies. After the Civil War African American’s reconceptualizatize their role to vote in politics and one may wonder how can a group of people who have been recently emancipated do such a thing? Well Brown argues that the Black Richmonders, operated in two different...
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...The modern Civil Rights movement in the United States was a pivotal period marked by significant strides toward racial equality. Historians have often drawn parallels between this era and the period immediately following the Civil War, known as Reconstruction, prompting some to refer to the modern Civil Rights movement as the "Second Reconstruction." This comparison highlights both the enduring struggle for African American civil rights and the efforts to address the legacy of racial oppression in America. The Reconstruction era sought to establish civil rights for African Americans through constitutional amendments and federal legislation. However, these gains were short-lived as they faced significant backlash from Southern states and white...
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...African Americans Dawn Burnside HIS204: American History Since 1865 Patrick Williams July 9, 2013 Throughout history African Americans have had a wicked, harsh, trouble, struggling life. During the period of the 1800s to 1900s African Americans were treated as if they were nothing, force to work over their own free will, they were force to work without getting paid. African Americans were not just slaves in the south there were many northern states that had slaves as well. Most African Americans were slaves to White families, but there were many who slaves to other work forces. Slavery continued until the reconstruction era, the period of change. But as a period of change came white still were not acceptance of African Americans. So they made the Black Codes, so they can still have control over African Americans. To get full freedom African Americans started the Black Civil Right Movement, and the New Nergo Movement, which led to the Harlem Renaissance. While reading this paper you will find why the Black Codes, African American Civil War soldiers, the Reconstruction era, the Civil Right Movement, New Nergo Movement and Harlem Renaissance are all important parts of African American history. African American Civil War Soldiers were believed to be unintelligence and didn’t have the courage to be a soldier, they were also treated unfairly. Like years and wars before many African Americans your volunteer or forced to protect their country. Which they used to try and gain...
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...and come back together as a country. One question about Reconstruction still lingers today: Did this period of time help African Americans with having the American Dream? According to my research, Reconstruction (mostly) did not help African Americans, but some laws made during this time would benefit them. African Americans were looked down upon when Jim Crow Laws were enacted and during the forming of the Klu Klux Klan. To begin with, Jim Crow Laws were laws that enforced segregation on African Americans and other people of color. Based on the “Separate but Equal” policy from Plessy vs. Ferguson, there were two different facilities, even water fountains, for each race: Colored and White. African Americans could not go into any white facility. There was no change in how they were treated between the Civil War and Reconstruction; they just were not slaves anymore. These laws were made from loopholes in the Constitution and other laws, basically giving African Americans the same rights that they...
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...The rebuilding period following the Civil War in the United States was known as the Reconstruction Era. This era of United States history introduced the reconstruction amendments and was projected to be a time of beneficial change to all whom lived within the nation. In the Second Founding by David Quigley, New York City is examined to determine if they lived up to the promises made during reconstruction. New York City did not “live up to the first reconstruction’s promise” which was emancipation (183). Through the thirteen amendment, the abolition of slavery was prohibited by law in the United States. However, throughout the reconstruction period, there is many instances where restrictions on the lives of certain groups of people including...
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...The period of reconstruction in the south was a period of social reconstruction on a scale not previously seen in American history. The Reconstruction era occurred after the Civil War period, and lasted from 1864 to 1877. The Reconstruction period brought upon an era of Martial Law, a change of social consciousness towards slavery and the rights of African Americans, a New South with closer ties to the North. Emancipated Slaves, Northerners, and White Southerners all had different opinions towards the New South and the new found freedom of the emancipated slaves along with the various concepts of freedom. “We believe our present position is by no means so well understood among the loyal masses of the country, otherwise there would be no delay in granting us the express relief which the nature of the case demands...if duty ratified, can go no further; neither touch, nor can touch the slave codes of the various southern States, and the laws respecting free people of color consequent…are presumed to have lost none of their vitality, but exist as a convenient engine for our oppression…” (“Address from the Colored Citizens of Norfolk, Virginia, to the people of the United States” 407). Many freed slaves after the end of the Civil War still had the feelings of being oppressed by the new governments of the South, largely in regard towards the black codes. Many African Americans felt their new found freedoms were being largely ignored, especially by their Northern neighbors “The people...
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...The Reconstruction Era was from 1865 to 1877, following the Civil War. In this era, the United States experienced reconstruction to help restore its socioeconomic and physical environment from the aftermath of the war’s damage. Some goals included ensuring civil rights to free African Americans through the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, reuniting the Southern States into the Union, and trying to restructure and build the ties between the state and federal governments. However, Reconstruction also led to the failure to protect African Americans through the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups, and the economic success that was gained during Reconstruction was not evenly distributed and was unstable. Reconstruction became successful...
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...1st, 2016 HIS-202 Trochim Reconstruction Reconstruction was a time era, 1863 to 1877, in American history where there was an attempt to resolve issues from the Civil War. It was a period of putting back the pieces. The Confederacy and slavery were demolished and the development of the Constitution strengthened the rights of citizens. The movement tackled the return of southern states that had estranged, the status of previous confederate leaders, and the Constitutional status of the African-Americans. Controversy on how to handle the situations and by the 1870s Reconstruction had been considered a failure for the lack of equally integrating the recently freed slaves into the legal, political, economic and social system. The Dunning School perceived Reconstruction as a failure for different reasons. They claimed Reconstruction took freedom and rights away from qualified Caucasians and gave it to unqualified African-Americans. Revisionism focused on economics, and ultimately downplayed political and constitutional issues. They claimed that the movement was an attempt by financiers, railroad builders, and industrialists to use the Republican Party to control the national government for their own selfish economic needs. There has been much debate as far as which interpretation is best. Dunning’s interpretation is best because although it views the failure of Reconstruction, it also draws attention to what Reconstruction achieved. Reconstruction allowed for former slaves to...
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...1865-1900 time period. I will discuss two major historical turning points during this period. I will discuss the impact of the two major historical turning points on America’s society, economy, politics, and culture. I’ll discuss some possible ways the Reconstruction period may have turned out differently if President Lincoln hadn’t been assassinated. I’ll explain how industrialization and urbanization affected the average working American during this time. Last, I’ll touch on how the federal and/or state governments handed down decisions or passed laws during this period that served to discriminate against non-white citizens and immigrants. The assassination of President Lincoln was a large historical turning point during this time period. After Lincoln’s assassination, Andrew Johnson took office. President Johnson was a Democratic Unionist who was originally from the South. Many considered him an insecure man looking for approval from the South’s planter aristocracy (Shultz, 2012, p. 278). Due to this, Johnson and the Radical Republicans who held a lot of power in Congress were constantly at odds. During the Radical Republicans reign, they were able to pass several laws which often overrode the Presidents veto. If President Lincoln hadn’t been assassinated, the Reconstruction may have turned out differently. Many believe that Lincoln would have done more to help the economy of the southern states which would have helped heal the wounds from the war. African Americans would have...
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...in 1865 and the abolition of slavery, a period of reconstruction followed where by the government hoped to seize control of the south and rebuild America. Some historians argue this was a promising period for the newly freed slaves where as others would argue it was a crisis and thus a negative period for the African Americans. When looking at reconstruction one must consider the economic, legal, social and political impacts it had on the African Americans. One argument that suggests that reconstruction was promising for the African Americans was the passing of the 14th amendment. This stated that all persons born or naturalized in America were citizens. Not only did this overturn the black codes but also meant that states could not limit the right of citizenship for African Americans, resulting in them having the full protection of the law. Moreover the passing of this law secured the rights for black children (from two freed slaves) as well as securing the rights for black Americans in the future. Therefore providing strong evidence to why reconstruction was promising for AA’s. Furthermore, the 15th amendment was also passed during the period of reconstructions which intended to secure the voting rights for AA’s. As a result of this 700,000 AA’s registered to vote, not only was this a success for AA’s, some historians argue that it was also a big success for the republican party as it secured the vote of the African Americans, potentially allowing them to remain in power...
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...In the wake of the Civil War, Congress acceded to pressure to have the federal government intercede to secure African Americans' rights. What were some of the long-range effects of that government posture? The Union Victory in the Civil War in 1865 granted freedom to approximately 4 million slaves, however, the process of rebuilding the South during the Reconstruction period 1865-1877 brought a lot of challenges. In 1865 and 1866 under the supervision of President Andrew Johnson, new Southern state legislatives passed the “black codes” to control the labor and behavior of former slaves and other African Americans. During the Radical Reconstruction in 1869, new enfranchised blacks had a voice in the government for the first time in American history, winning election southern state legislatives, including U.S. Congress. However, forces like Ku Klux Klan reversed changes brought by Radical Reconstruction in a violent reaction that restored white supremacy in the South. In 1865, President Andrew Johnson announced his plans for Reconstruction. According to him, the southern states had never given up their right to govern themselves, and the federal government had no right to determine voting requirements. Under Johnson’s Presidential Reconstruction, all lands that had been confiscated by Union Army would be reverted to their prewar owners. Due to Johnson’s leniency, many southern states in 1865 and 1866 successfully passed laws known as the “black codes,” which were designed...
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...Professor History August 14th, 2024. The Role of Racism in the Failure of Reconstruction The Reconstruction era in United States of America history, spanning roughly from 1865 to 1877, remains a crucial and controversial period marked by efforts to rebuild a nation that was torn apart by civil war and to redefine the social and political landscape of the South of the United States of America. Central to the debate surrounding Reconstruction is the question of whether racism played a decisive role in its perceived failure. Reconstruction emerged in the aftermath of the Civil War with ambitious goals in mind: to integrate millions of formerly enslaved African Americans into American society as full citizens, to rebuild the Southern economy that was devastated by...
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