The Reconstruction Era was one of the most consequential and falsely depicted eras in history. It consisted of a four year Civil war freeing four million slaves, a presidential assassination, and ratification of constitutional amendments guaranteeing equal rights. Textbooks and movies such as “Gone with the Wind” misguided many Americans into believing false information. It glorified hateful groups such as the KKK and portrayed northern Republicans negatively.
In March of 1865 the Freedmen's Bureau was established. Freedmen were crucial in establishing schools, churches and political organizations, while fighting for civil rights and economic self-sufficiency. Sharecropping was important in allowing former slaves to make money, have a cabin, land and supplies. Radical Republicans were pivotal in the push for freedom. They passed laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and were influential in passing the 14th and 15th Amendments. This played a strong role in rebuilding the south for freed slaves.
The achievements during this era were impactful in providing latitude for equal rights, opportunities, and freedoms. But despite the fact that progress was made, the “freedoms” they received weren’t perfect. Organizations such as the Freedmen's Bureau dealt with opposition and many African Americans felt it didn’t live up to expectations with a former black army veteran stating, “If you call this freedom, what did you call slavery”. Other supposed freedoms such as sharecropping kept African Americans in an endless cycle of poverty. It was ultimately a compromise to gang labor. They were set up to benefit landowners and oftentimes led to more than half the crop going to the landlord. These definitions of freedom don’t correspond with my own. Examples include vagrancy laws and “black codes”, which highlight how unfairly their “freedom” was in comparison. Simple rights that people take for granted such as marriage and owning weapons were forbidden. If an African American was considered to be “in idleness” (including children), they would be assigned to chain gangs or be auctioned off to a planter. This is not freedom.
During the Reconstruction Era, Congress had fought for equal protection of citizens. Fortunately, progress was made, but was eventually met by activists and Redeemers introducing the Redemption Era. This era was massed by hateful activists and groups that sought to reestablish white supremacy. Resentful whites targeted African Americans and organized the White League. The White League was largely made up of the white business elite and Confederate soldiers. The League terrorized African Americans and in September of 1874 they seized control of the State Government Offices. Leaving 27 Republican supporters dead (24 African Americans & 3 Whites). Other groups such as the Klu Klux Klan, founded in Tennessee 1866, and the Knights of the White Camellia emerged with members including judges, clergymen, lawyers, yeomen farmers, and poor whites. They were dedicated to preventing African Americans from voting and ending Republican rule. Hundreds of African Americans were beaten and murdered. Congress responded by passing the Force Act and the KKK Act which gave the president power in preventing the denial of voting rights. This didn’t stop the KKK from intimidating voters and by 1876 the Republican Government had lost all but three states. In 1873 a nationwide economic depression further weakened the Republican Party helping Democrats regain the House of Representatives in 1874. This was a setback for the progress made by Congress and with the Presidential election of 1876 it formally brought an end to Reconstruction. Congress faced huge setbacks and the Supreme Court didn’t help; in fact they assisted the Redeemer's efforts through key decisions, which upheld racial segregation with one doctrine stating, “separate but equal”. Additionally in a so-called Compromise of 1877, the national government would no longer intervene in Southern affairs. This empowered racial segregation and the disempowerment of black voters. In conclusion, the activists who sought to bring back white supremacy, the Southern Democrats (redeemers), and the Supreme Court, all participated in the efforts of reversing the progress made during the Reconstruction Era