Tiffany Aguilera
Mr.Kenyon
APUSH period 7
Due: 1/28/2013

The Reconstruction Era
During the reconstruction era, white and freed men changed their belief of freedom. Their different yet similar meaning of freedom affected their social, political and economic views. After the civil war, the north and the south continued to have resentments against each other, while each the freed men were being biased by both regions. During this era, the political participation was the “core element of freedom”. The economics views made former slaves and their children educated
Most white southern could not accept the idea of formers slaves voting, holding office, and enjoying equality before the law and they formed a campaign of violence against reconstruction. In the era, years of reconstruction, violence was local and unorganized; secret societies sprang up with the aim of preventing blacks from voting and destroying the origination of the Republican Party. The Ku Klux Klan is an example was a secret society, who committed the most brutal criminal acts, known to a republican leader as "reign of terror". The victims included white republicans, wartime unionists, local office holders, teachers, party organizers, and African Americans. The bloodiest act of violence during reconstruction took place in Colas, Louisiana, where armed whites assaulted the town with small cannon where hundreds of former slaves were murdered, including fifty members of a black militia unit after they surrendered. Congress adopted three enforcement acts, which outlawed terrorist societies and allowing the president to use the army against them. These laws continued the expansion of national authority during reconstruction.
The north increasingly felt that the south should be able to solve it owns problems without constant interference from Washington. Liberals claimed corruption politicians had come to power in the north by manipulating the votes of immigrants and working men. A new issue on which the liberal reformers and the reformers and the democrats could agree— a new policy toward the south
In the reconstruction era, the lives of Americans were affected by the different kind of meanings of freedom. Political participation became very important for Americans. Throughout this era, former slaves believed the key to complete freedom were the right to vote. Amendments were passed to allow black suffrage like the 15th amendment, which allowed slaves to vote without white men denying their right to vote. This right opened new opportunities for freed men like right the right to hold office such as Hiram Pevels and Pinckney B. Pinchbeck. Freed men saw the reconstruction as field of opportunities to demand rights and claim their emancipation.
During the reconstruction, economic changes had to be made, which affected the southern owners and freed slaves. One provision of the law establishing the bureau gave it authority to divide abandoned and confiscated land into forty acre plots for rental and eventual sale to former slaves. However President Andrew Johnson pardoned the south, and ordered nearly all land in federal hands to go back to its former owners. As a result of Johnson’s decision, a committee of former slaves drew up petitions. Because no land distribution had taken place, the majorities of former slaves remains poor and were forced to work on white plantations. The task system, under which workers are assigned daily tasks,