What did reconstruction mean to African Americans?

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Quentin Sloper                                   Between Slavery and Freedom: African American History, 1865-1945                                                      

WHAT DID RECONSTRUCTION MEAN TO AFRICAN AMERICANS?

Reconstruction took place in the aftermath of the Civil War which ended in 1865 when the Confederates

of the Southern States surrendered to the Union of the North. Its aim was to reorganise the States so that

they could become part of the Union. After taking part in the war and having been granted Emancipation by

Abraham Lincoln in September 1862, blacks believed that Reconstruction was going to mean a time of

sweeping change and increased rights. To some extent this was the case with ‘Congressional

Reconstruction’ resulting in the passing of the first Civil Rights Act (1866), and the ratification of the 14th 

and 15th Amendments in 1868 and 1870. However, before this period, President Andrew Johnson

implemented his ‘Presidential Reconstruction’ plan. A former slave owner himself, he ‘showed little

concern over the status of freed people and believed they needed to be controlled by Southern whites’.

Ensuring that the Southern States ratified the 13th Amendment which outlawed slavery, Johnson allowed

States to appoint former slave owners and Confederates as delegates to rewrite their constitutions. This

resulted in the creation of policies such as ‘Black Codes’, which limited the freedom of blacks.

Furthermore, many authoritarian whites were unable to contend with blacks having equal status. As a

consequence groups such as the Ku Klux Klan were formed which saw a ‘wave of violence rage almost

unchecked in large parts of the post war South’. These factors combined, Reconstruction not only meant a

time of increased rights and opportunities, but also a time of great frustration, and often great fear.

The ratification of the 14th Amendment saw African Americans become citizens in the eyes of the law.

This had a dramatic effect on the social side of their lives. One aspect of change involved family life. No

longer restricted to the land of their master, blacks were able to live with their family members. Similarly,

masters were unable to dictate who their slaves married, whilst establishments such as the Freedman’s

Bureau legitimised unions by providing marriage licences. This marital legitimacy meant that parents were

the legal owners of their children. As a consequence, for the first time, parents had some autonomy in

deciding how to bring their children up. Reconstruction also ‘transformed the roles of the family

members’. Slavery imposed a sense of equality between male and female; however with

emancipation, the male became the head of the household; signing contracts and receiving wages for the

whole family. This often caused tension and was considered to be the cause of many marital problems.

   Reconstruction also saw a change in social groups. As the large communities from plantations began to

split, African Americans looked to other means to create a community. This resulted in numerous clubs and

societies being developed, examples being the Masonic lodge and the ‘Voluntary Fireman’s Association’.

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Of particular importance to the community was the role of the Church. No longer required to attend

services with their master, blacks built their own churches, often raising money to buy land and build

premises. Working together also created a ‘sense of shared interests and goals’, and their achievements

created a feeling of pride which had never been felt before. Most blacks went to Baptist churches whilst

others went to Methodist or Catholic institutions. This was irrelevant; the important factor was that blacks

had the right to choose.

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