“America’s Post-Civil War Growing Pains”

Week 3 Assignment 1

13

“America’s Post-Civil War Growing Pains”

Professor: Reeves HIS 105

Week 3 Assignment 1

13

“America’s Post-Civil War Growing Pains”

Professor: Reeves HIS 105

Strayer University

The Reconstruction and Industrialization were two major turning points during this period. The civil wars ended in 1865 and towards the end of the civil war, it brought Reconstruction to the south from 1865 to 1877. The rebuilding of the southern region began fairly quickly and the development was quite rapid, but the process of reconstructing southern society was much more difficult, especially thinking about how to integrate rebel states back into the nations and about how to integrate four million newly freed slaves. (Shultz 2012) In 1863, Lincoln had issued his Ten-Percent Plan, which offered amnesty to any southerner who proclaimed loyalty to the union and support of emancipation of slaves. (Shultz, 2012) Lincoln was trying to drain the support to the confederacy and shorten the war by making the Ten-Percent look easy.

During the reconstruction time, it did very little to help newly freed slaves, while President Lincoln wanted the freed slaves to receive new opportunities, such as, purchase land, education, voting rights, and more. All of that was eliminated, due to the assassination of President Lincoln in 1865. Lincoln’s sympathy would be missed as the battle to reconstruct the nation moved on between defiant congressional republicans and the man who seemed unsure and fell into the presidency Andrew Johnson. (Shultz, 2012) If President Lincoln had not been assassinated, things would have turned out different when it came to freeing the slaves and their rights, as Lincoln was ready to make the necessary changes. Without the time of reconstruction, we wouldn’t have achieved the two new constitutional amendments, the first civil rights law, and the abolition of slavery. (Shultz, 2012)

Industrialization helped to form America into a...