Hello Everyone,
My name is Kevin and I am a new student here at GCC. I look forward to being in this class with all of you.
Rebuilding and repairing is critical for many countries, especially after war. The Reconstruction Era was when our country had to rebuild after the American Civil War. This period was essential because the war caused great loss. “Reconstruction (1865-1877), the turbulent era following the Civil War, was the effort to reintegrate Southern states from the Confederacy and 4 million newly-freed people into the United States” (History.com Editors). Former slaves became citizens and were granted the right to vote; and the Southern states no longer were separate from the Union (the North). This was not an easy period and our country faced several challenges. Confederates from the South who were still upset over the loss of the Civil War and abolishment of slavery tried to stop slaves from having rights and being able to have a voice. The North worked very hard to ensure that slavery was abolished and that rights were given to all to create equity and fairness. This paved the way for the Amendments to the Constitution and more rights for all people.
It is critical to understand what happened before this period because without understanding our past issues we will never understand why this era was so essential and critical to American history, and the current America we live in today. The Civil War started due to several differences between the North and South regarding beliefs in cultures, opinions about slavery, Federal government oversight, and so much more. This led to confrontation and the South ultimately broke away from the North. Because of the South's secession this caused the American Civil War. The Civil War was one of the deadliest wars in history. Conditions of war were bad, casualties were high, and it forever changed the course of history. ”It was the bloodiest conflict in American history, with an estimated 1.5 million casualties. Of these, some 620,000 were fatalities (compared with 405,000 in WWII, the second bloodiest). The term “casualty” sometimes causes confusion: it is not synonymous with death, but is rather a combined measure of the dead, wounded, captured, and missing” (Wills 1). Understanding why the Civil War happened and its effect on our country is so important as it helps understand how and why the Reconstruction Era was so important as America needed restructure and repair to make a change. This time period was a period in which America was able to rebuild our country, helped create rights and freedoms for all people, and ended slavery. It was a period of time that helped craft a better future for America. A future with no slavery, freedom to vote, and equal protection for all.
Work Cited
History.com Editors. “Reconstruction ‑ Civil War End, Changes & Act of 1867.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/reconstruction.
Wills, Matthew. “An End to All Hell: 150th Anniversary of the Civil War’s End - JSTOR DAILY.” JSTOR Daily, 9 Apr. 2015, daily.jstor.org/end-hell-150th-anniversary-civil-wars-end/.
It is critical to understand what happened before this period because without understanding our past issues we will never understand why this era was so essential and critical to American history, and the current America we live in today. The Civil War started due to several differences between the North and South regarding beliefs in cultures, opinions about slavery, Federal government oversight, and so much more. This led to confrontation and the South ultimately broke away from the North. Because of the South's secession this caused the American Civil War. The Civil War was one of the deadliest wars in history. Conditions of war were bad, casualties were high, and it forever changed the course of history. ”It was the bloodiest conflict in American history, with an estimated 1.5 million casualties. Of these, some 620,000 were fatalities (compared with 405,000 in WWII, the second bloodiest). The term “casualty” sometimes causes confusion: it is not synonymous with death, but is rather a combined measure of the dead, wounded, captured, and missing” (Wills 1). Understanding why the Civil War happened and its effect on our country is so important as it helps understand how and why the Reconstruction Era was so important as America needed restructure and repair to make a change. This time period was a period in which America was able to rebuild our country, helped create rights and freedoms for all people, and ended slavery. It was a period of time that helped craft a better future for America. A future with no slavery, freedom to vote, and equal protection for all.
Work Cited
History.com Editors. “Reconstruction ‑ Civil War End, Changes & Act of 1867.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/reconstruction.
Wills, Matthew. “An End to All Hell: 150th Anniversary of the Civil War’s End - JSTOR DAILY.” JSTOR Daily, 9 Apr. 2015, daily.jstor.org/end-hell-150th-anniversary-civil-wars-end/.