Identify and explain all the factors which encouraged and discouraged change during 1863-77

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Identify and explain all the factors which encouraged and discouraged change during 1863-77

        There were many changes during the period of 1863-77, all of which had different effects on civil rights. However although most factors encouraged change most of the time it resulted in discouraging change due to loopholes or insufficient implementing.

        Firstly, in an attempt to resolve the problem of the separated southern states, the Republican partly took many different views which at first seemed to encourage change. The more radical believed freedmen should receive full rights of citizenship however this was partly out of self interest as they knew they could win the freedmen’s vote. However Johnson favoured a more liberal approach he wanted all southerners who were prepared to swear an oath of allegiance to the union to receive a pardon and amnesty; after which they could vote and stand for election. They were required to agree to the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment which confirmed the illegality of slavery. All property was to be restored to them except their slaves. However it became clear that Johnson was no enemy of the south. The plan had terrible consequences for the freed slaves and during the war years Johnson had supported Lincoln stating he had never abandoned his support for slavery. This was supported when he appointed advisors who were unsympathetic to the concept of black civil rights.  In practice, Johnson pardoned the southern states, abandoned the idea of charging with treason and punishing southern politicians and allowed the to resume their state offices, failed to implement the policy of excluding rich planters from office in order to reduce their influence and failed to enforce the requirement of newly elected state assemblies to ratify the thirteenth amendment. This in itself was supposed to encourage change yet due to lack of implementation it discouraged change.

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        As a response to the Thirteenth Amendment the south introduced the Black Codes, this certainly discouraged any change. Black Codes intended to avoid the extension of voting rights to freed slaves. The intention of these codes was to make sure that African Americans never acquired land or property.  In the south they justified these codes as guaranteeing protection for freed slaves and economic security for plantation economy. However in the north they were seen as racist and seen to be attempting to replace one form of slavery with another. The Black Codes exposed the weaknesses of the federal government and ...

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