The lasting legacy of reconstruction stemmed from its address for inequities of slavery as well as its support for equality for African Americans. Respect and dignity became achievable goals for the black Americans after the reconstruction even though most of them did not see real peace and freedom between races. Even so, there were specific steps towards equality which did not only last but were also adopted and are being used in the present times. For example, the 14th and the 15th amendment of the constitution remain the symbols of freedom to the black Americans today (Acharya, Blackwell & Sen, 2016). Reconstruction also tried to address the challenges which were arising from the readmission of the union of the eleven states which had seceded before or during the outbreak of the civil war.
Black codes, for instance, are laws which restricted the rights of the black Americans by stopping them from voting, preventing them from testifying in court or participating in jury duty, not allowing them to have weapons of their own as well as preventing them from getting jobs (Foner, 2014). Jim Crow laws, on the other hand, legalized the separation of whites from the people of color. These laws also separated the races in all public places. Because of the Jim Crow laws, black codes and KKK, African Americans got fed up, and as a result, they started civil rights movement (Du Bois, 2017). These movements registered the descent of African Americans on the growing violation of their rights and the racial prejudice. Even though reconstruction brought benefits to the African American people, it is also known for some of its limits and shortcomings. For example, during the redistribution of land which had initially been promised to slaves, many did not get the land as it was guaranteed (Tindall & Shi, 2016). Because of reconstruction, there were race failures such as disillusionment of the white American.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
References
Acharya, A., Blackwell, M., & Sen, M. (2016). The political legacy of American slavery. The Journal of Politics , 78 (3), 621-641.
Du Bois, W. E. B. (Ed.). (2017). Black Reconstruction in America: Toward a history of the part which black folk played in the attempt to reconstruct democracy in America, 1860-1880 . Routledge.
Foner, E. (2014). Reconstruction Updated Edition: America’s Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877 . Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
Tindall, G. B., & Shi, D. E. (2016). America: A narrative history . WW Norton & Company.
