Day 253

The Failure of Reconstruction

The era following the Civil War, called Reconstruction, took shape, and slowly dissolved over a decade and finally ended with the Presidential Election of 1876. The standard set by the Declaration of Independence was that every man would have economic, religious, and moral autonomy from an oppressive government, and for that same government to also protect the security of those autonomies. The main goal of Reconstruction was to broaden the wing of protection to include former slaves who were emancipated after the Civil War. It is by this definition of Reconstruction that declares Reconstruction itself a failure, because although an attempt to protect former slaves was made, many generations would pass before some if any of the new principles of freedom would actually be practiced or protected long term.


After being physically destroyed, the South was taken under control by the Union Army. Of specific interest to President Lincoln and the Republicans, property and voting rights for former slaves were protected and advancements to their economic and educational situations were made. Union General William Sherman promised land in South Carolina and Georgia to be settled by black farmers. Called Special Order 15, the promise of 40 acres and a mule became a symbol of freedom, but also an ironic synonym for the unrealistic and unfavorable outcomes of Reconstruction as much of the land which was set aside for Special Order 15, was promised but never given outright. A system of sharecropping, which would allow farmers to rent land in the hopes of earning enough to one day own it, kept most blacks from true economic independence. The sharecroppers would only reap profits after loans that covered their supplies, and rents were paid to land owners at unfair rates.

During Reconstruction black voters became a large supporter of Republican candidates in the now impotent Democratic South, and were able to see thousands of black men hold political offices at every level of government from local to federal. President Andrew Johnson succeeded Lincoln after his assassination and was elected to office in 1866. His staunch belief in self governing state power against any federal intervention, along with his inherent racism led to many battles with Congress to block all civil rights legislation. This laid the groundwork for a political resurgence of racist Southern Democrats, and a growing apathy amongst Northern Americans to lose a vested interest in the success of Reconstruction. Congress ratified the 14th Amendment to the Constitution which promised citizenship to all persons born in America, and in essence secured freedom for blacks to claim their own independence. Opposition from local and state governments gave way to the rise of white supremacist activist groups like the Ku-Klux-Klan and violent attacks against black individuals and communities, including lynching and the burning of many churches and farms, kept the black community from any substantial advancements in society. In 1869 under newly elected President Grant, the 15th Amendment passed which allowed for all men to vote without the discrimination of race, yet this too was undermined by the imposition of poll taxes and literacy tests to voters, unfairly preventing the poor and uneducated population from voting.

The election of 1876 between Republican Rutherford B Hayes, and Democrat Samuel Tilden, was a statistical tie and ultimately decided by the Supreme Courts ruling to declare Hayes the winner by one electoral vote. The regaining of power by the Democrats in the South had given them bargaining power in the debate over the election. Republicans had promised Democrats a position in Hayes’ cabinet and a promise to leave Southern states to their own affairs, so long as they promised not to hinder the personal and political freedoms of blacks. Democrats agreed with their figurative fingers crossed behind their back, and the Army left the South, all but handing over the lives and welfare of black people to the system of oppression that had enslaved them for centuries. Any promises made to uphold the values for which the Civil War was waged and won, would be ignored and all political achievements in the name of civil rights wouldn’t be fully protected under the federal government for 90 years. The generation of freed slaves who were promised a better life, were robbed of their freedom, and while the steps taken in the era of Reconstruction laid the groundwork for future civil rights movements, the era was ultimately a failure for the people it directly intended to serve.