DBQ- Who Killed Reconstruction?

After the Civil War, blacks problems fighting for justice and equality were far from over. This included the 12 years directly after the Civil War, which was called the reconstruction. While there was an increase in freed slaves, there was also a resistance to change, coming mainly from the South. Then, after 12 years, the reconstruction ended. This was due to many things, including violence and threats from the South and overall neglect from the North. While both sides contributed to the death of reconstruction, the combination of violence and threats in the South made them the main culprit. 

First, the South killed reconstruction through violence and threats. First, there is a document where a former white soldier is writing to Congress and pleading for their help. He claims that the KKK, a white supremacist group, has killed a white senator who was trying to help blacks obtain their rights. (Doc A). He also claims that anybody who ignores these serious threats are "a coward, a traitor, or a fool"(Doc A). This shows that the South killed reconstruction through acts of violence because the KKK would kill anybody who supported the change in ideas that came with reconstruction. Their violence led to many people being too afraid to step in and help, this causing reconstruction to be killed altogether. While the KKK didn't always kill people, most of the time they would at least threaten them. It was known that the KKK would go to voting booths and threaten blacks who tried to vote so that they would be too afraid to use their rights and vote. They would use violence sometimes along with these threats by pointing guns at black's heads. (Doc B). This shows that the south killed reconstruction through the KKK's constant threats so that the blacks were not able to vote and use their rights that reconstruction had fought for them to have.  

 

While the South was the majority of the reason why reconstruction was killed, they also had some help from their friends in the North. In the North, they had been growing tired of all of the South's problems and began to disregard them. They started to focus on more national problems including the scandal inside of Grant's government. (Doc C). This shows that the North had a hand in killing reconstruction because they stopped helping the South to focus on problems that they cared about more. The North was also not all supportive of blacks rights. Blacks were called, "unfitted for the proper exercise of political duties." (Doc D). By saying this, it shows that the North didn't feel that blacks were ready for the rights that reconstruction had given them so that played a hand in them helping to kill reconstruction. Blacks were depicted very stereotypically in the North also. In one edition of Harper's Weekly, they are shown being loud and crazy in a political office while whites look on confused and scared. (Doc D). This also proves that that the North helped to kill reconstruction because not all of them supported blacks rights that reconstruction had given them. 



While both sides contributed to the death of reconstruction, the combination of violence and threats in the South made them the main culprit. This was due to the many violence and threats that came from the South during this time. Especially from the KKK, who did not support blacks to have any rights and took action against it. After the Civil War, blacks problems fighting for justice and equality were definitely far from over.


 

Images:

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