The Reconstruction Period: Peace Still a Century Away

The Reconstruction period was a time of American optimism after the grueling Civil War. It was a time in which critical legislation for the movement towards true slave liberation began. The first of these was the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The first action it took was to make the definition of American citizenry encompass people of all races, specifically African Americans (”Fourteenth Amendment”). The 2nd part of the provision “commanded the federal government to ensure the protection of certain fundamental rights at the state level”(”Fourteenth Amendment”). So what this amendment did essentially was evening the playing field for slaves when it come to protection under the law. This would be followed by the Fifteenth Amendment, which would protect the voting rights of black men, and this amendment stemmed from the Civil Rights Act (”Fifteenth Amendment”). However, despite these legislative landmarks, the true liberation of African-Americans would see primarily stagnation during the Reconstruction period. This stagnation can be blamed on three critical irritants to the movement. The first of which is the Black Codes, which were a series of laws designed to restrict the rights of African Americans within the southern states, and a desperate attempt to re institute slavery. The second hindrance to African

American liberation is President Johnson, the former vice president who took office after Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, who’s constant vetoes of reconstruction bills made it impossible for congress to make any progress towards total equality of African Americans in the American system (Stevens 197). The third oppressor of the movement was the extremist group known the Ku Klux Klan, which terrorized supporters of Republican governments (Appleby 371). It was due to these three major opponents that the movement to black equality, whether socially, economically, or politically in the United States was unable to occur during Reconstruction.

The Black Codes were passed by Southern state legislatures in order to limit the rights of African Americans in the south. The Black Codes we’re quite apparently a last ditch attempt by Confederate sympathizers to salvage their vaunted institution. While each state had its own slight variations, the goal of each states Black Codes was simple, impede and defy the Civil Rights Act using legislative loopholes. African Americans in the south had to sign on to annual labor contracts in order to get work in the south. If they had any children, they would be entered into apprenticeships and could be disciplined physically in the form of whipping or beating in some states. The Black Codes in many states also mandated work hours. If an African American wanted to get a job outside of the heavily controlled agrarian circuit, they would have to acquire a license. The Black