Student 1

Student
Mrs. Longwell/Knapp
AP American Studies
13 January 2016
The Failure of Reconstruction in the South
From 1865 to 1877 the South underwent forced reconstruction efforts directed by the
Republican dominated federal government. Due to the dying cotton industry, the South faced
total social and economic turmoil following the Confederate loss in the Civil War. As a result of
the rapid social change, Southern politicians were in a state of anomie and turned their attention
to limiting the rights of newly freed Black citizens, similar to the belligerent dehumanization of
slaves by slave owners preceding the Civil War. Congress Reconstruction efforts to ensure equal
rights to freed Blacks filled because of prolonged feelings of white supremacy and the loss of
control in Congress in the 1870s.
White supremacy in the postbellum period was detrimental to the advancement of freed
slaves. The notion of biological inferiority in the minds of politicians, such as Pennsylvania
congressman, Benjamin Boyer, prohibited full political involvement for Black people during
Reconstruction (Doc 1). This sentiment served as an informal message to Black people that
although suffrage was achieved, political equality was not yet welcomed. This informal message
reinvigorated feelings of Black inferiority and led to the creation of Jim Crow laws, laws that
segregated and disenfranchised Black citizens following Reconstruction. The execution of the
laws exemplified the failure of Reconstruction. Anti-Black sentiment was common not only with
politicians but also with the general population. The formation of white supremacy activist
groups within the South led to the terrorization of newly freed Blacks and prohibited Blacks

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from exercising their newly acquired rights (Doc 2 and 3). Although the presence of these groups
were know throughout the United States, the federal government did little to prohibit the groups
action. The negligence on the part of the federal government allowed for these groups, such as
the KKK, to remain prominent into the twentieth century and in some cases these groups still
exist today. The influence of these groups reflect the failure of Congress Reconstruction plan to
ensure equal rights, thought this was in some part due to the Radical Republicans loss of control
in Congress during the 1870s.