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Racism In Reconstruction Research Paper

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Caprice Golden 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 …show more content…
From the outset, racism posed a formidable barrier to the success of Reconstruction. Southern states, resentful of federal intervention and determined to maintain white supremacy, enacted Black Codes to restrict the rights of freedmen. These laws, coupled with the rise of vigilante groups like the Ku Klux Klan, sought to intimidate African Americans and hinder their political participation and economic advancement. Violence and terror became tools of oppression, undermining the fragile progress made towards racial equality. Moreover, the Compromise of 1877, which settled the disputed presidential election of 1876, marked a turning point in Reconstruction. In exchange for Republican acceptance of Democrat Rutherford B. Hayes as president, federal troops were withdrawn from the South. This withdrawal effectively ended Reconstruction, allowing Southern states to resume control and enact Jim Crow laws that institutionalized racial segregation and disenfranchisement. While economic challenges and political corruption also contributed to the downfall of Reconstruction, racism intertwined with these factors to perpetuate inequality. The Southern economy struggled to recover

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