Reconstruction in the history of the United States refers to the period the following the end of the American Civil War, where extensive efforts were made resolve the injustices of slavery as well as its economic, social, and political legacy ( Nolen, 2001) . The efforts further sought to address the problems that arose from the readmission of the eleven states that had withdrawn from the union during or prior to the start of the war. In place of Reconstruction, some White Southerners opted for the word ‘Restoration’ since it portrayed a better image for the process that aimed at reunifying the United States. Reconstruction is often viewed as an experimentation of interracial democracy, a notion that has lasted since towards the end of the 20 th century. The period contributed to numerous changes in America’s political system, which were realized throughout the region. The changes comprised of new laws at the national level, as well as amendments that sought to alter the meaning of American citizenship and the American federal system.
African Americans in the south participated in the Reconstruction so that they could achieve equality with their White counterparts and gain freedom from the oppression that they faced from the white elites in the south ( Rydell, 1999) . They formed a black community that was politically mobilized and united with their white allies in the region with the aim of bringing the Republican Party to power. They also aimed at redefining the roles of the government. African Americans were motivated to participate in the Reconstruction by President Andrew Johnson’s move, where on his ascent to the presidency, he granted pardon to the White Southerners, leaving out the wealthy planters and Confederate leaders.
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Johnson restored the freed White Southerners' property and political rights except for their slaves. The governments at the time required to repudiate secession, abolish slavery, and revoke the Confederate debt; however, they were given freedom to manage their own affairs ( Nolen, 2001) . In response, the governments responded with the enactment of the black codes, which referred to laws that mandated African Americans to sign annual labor contracts, in addition to limiting the economic options of the freedmen and reestablishing plantation discipline. African Americans extremely resisted the implementation of the proposed measures and largely challenged the support for Johnson’s policies in the North.
In 1865 when Congress gathered, Radical Republicans supported the move to establish new Southern governments that were founded on equality before the universal male suffrage and the law ( Nolen, 2001) . However, the moderate Republicans considered working with Johnson while contributing towards the modification of his program. In early 1886, Congress passed the Civil Rights and the Freedmen’s Bureau Bills, where the first bill defined all people born in the U.S. as citizens, while the second bill sought to oversee the transition process from slavery to freedom ( Nolen, 2001) . However, Johnson strongly believed on state rights, and coupled with stubbornness and racist convictions, he rejected the two bills, leading to a permanent division between him and the Congress. Regardless, the Civil Rights Act became law and Congress also approved the Fourth Amendment, which upheld the principle of birthright citizenship as a constitutional right and prohibited states from denying any citizen of equal protection I accordance with the law. By rejecting Johnson’s policies, African Americans played a critical role in ensuring that the federal government guaranteed all Americans of equality, as well as ensuring that all the African Americans born in the U.S. were recognized as citizens and given equal treatment and protection as other American citizens ( Liliuokalani, 2011) .
During the Congressional elections that were held in 1866, voters in the north strongly rejected policies had Johnson has recommended. As a result, Congress made a decision to start the Reconstruction process afresh and established the 1867 Reconstruction Acts ( Nolen, 2001) . The Acts have split the South into five distinct military districts and stated how the new governments, which would be based on manhood suffrage but not racially biased would be established. This move started the Radical Reconstruction period that lasted up to 1877 ( Nolen, 2001) . During this period, African Americans comprised of the majority of voters in the South. The Black conventions in the South, which were formed at the start of the Reconstruction advocated for the extension of political and civil rights to the African Americans. The conventions, comprising of the African Americans who were free before the American Civil War, as well as slave artisans and ministers, the black political leadership, and veterans of the Civil War pushed for the economic enhancement of the former slaves and the eradication of the racial caste system.
African Americans experienced a major breakthrough towards the achievement of equality in the American society, as evidenced by the increased number of African Americans that served in the Congress during the Reconstruction period. The rise of African Americans to positions of power illustrated a dramatic change in the country’s traditions, particularly regarding racial balance ( Rydell, 1999) . However, the opponents did not receive the move to accommodate African Americans in positions of power positively and they presented significant hostility towards the African Americans and the local Republican leaders, who were targeted irrespective of their race. The hostility mainly emanated from White supremacists and they executed their assassinations or assaults on their targets through such organizations as the Ku Klux Klan ( Nolen, 2001) . Individuals who were targeted comprised mainly of those that sought to assist former slaves including teachers and church ministers, and African Americans who proclaimed their rights when dealing with white employers.
The Reconstruction governments served a diverse citizenry; they implemented numerous changes, including outlawing racial discrimination, making taxation more equitable, strengthening the plantation laborers’ bargaining power, and established the initial state-funded public schools. Further, the governments provided funds to facilitate the expansion of the economy of the South, which would equally benefit the Whites and the Blacks living in the region ( Carnegie, 1889) . With the interventions, the South experienced a rapid economic and social transformation. For the Blacks, freedom was translated as independence from the White control. Apart from gaining freedom, African Americans benefitted from the Reconstruction since it gave them opportunities to establish their own religious centers as well as to strengthen their family ties. Moreover, former slaves pushed for economic freedom, where they had high expectations that they would be given land; however, the land that they were to be given was handed back to its former owner with the direction of President Johnson.
However, despite the massive efforts to ensure economic stability f the freed slaves and other African Americans, most former slaves were left with few economic alternatives since they did not have land ( Nolen, 2001) . Hence, the majority resumed work on plantations that belonged to Whites, and with poor pay, they lacked the economic mobility required for them to get out of poverty. Hence, African Americans in the South remained poor for decades and without property. African Americans continued accessing equal treatment with Whites, through such amendments as the Fifteen Amendment that barred states from preventing people from voting on the basis of race.
References
Carnegie, A. (1889). Wealth. The North American Review , 148 (391), 653-664.
Liliuokalani, Q. (2011). Hawaii's story by Hawaii's Queen . Tuttle Publishing.
Nolen, C. H. (2001). African American Southerners in Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction . McFarland.
Rydell, R. W. (Ed.). (1999). The reason why the colored American is not in the world's Columbian Exposition: The Afro-American's contribution to Columbian literature (pp. 7-16). University of Illinois Press.
