Civil War and Reconstruction

CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Abraham Lincoln
Less than one hundred years after the founding fathers began their experiment in freedom,
the foundations were rocked by civil war.  The United States of America sprang from the
colonies as a revolutionary idea, and as the nation grew, the fundamentals would be revised
and adjusted to suit the developing country’s needs. While a country founded on the ideals
of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” cannot thrive with large percentages of its
population enslaved, the fact remained that slavery existed. It is important also to
understand that slavery was not the only issue facing the country.  Issues arose from
sectionalism, as different regions of the nation had different needs.  Many states, mostly
those of the South with smaller populations,  wanted to protect their interests through
decisions based on states’ rights. To the federal government, if the nation was to remain
united; the issues would need to be resolved.
Slavery in America was as old, even older, than the colonies. As the founding fathers began
to take steps toward ending British tyranny they were faced with many questions and
challenges.  The debate over slavery stalled  with the Three Fifths Compromise in the
Constitution, when 3 of every 5 slaves were counted (for purposes of representation). While
many states chose to prohibit slavery in their state constitutions, as a nation, slavery
continued for nearly another one hundred years.
Throughout the history of slavery in the U.S. there were those who opposed it, known as
abolitionists.  Some abolitionists, such as Frederick Douglas and Harriet Tubman, knew the
evils of slavery first hand. Others, such as John Brown, found they were vehemently
committed to ending it, with violence if necessary.  Abolitionists fought for the end of
slavery but they also helped slaves resist through escape.
The Underground Railroad was one avenue for this resistance.  The “railroad” was actually
a series of “stations” (safe house) where escaping slaves could find help and protection.
Runaways were led and assisted by “conductors”. Many enslaved African- Americans risked
their lives using the Underground Railroad to have a chance at freedom.  Those who were
caught faced severe punishment.
As the nation acquired new territories, the debate over slavery would appear again and
again.  Abolitionists wanted to prohibit slavery in all new states. Southern states, of course,
wanted to allow the practice to continue.   The Missouri Compromise was an attempt to
balance the power of free states versus slave  states by prohibiting slavery above 36°30’
north. While that worked for a time, the problems intensified after the Mexican-American
War when the United States increased its size by one third. A series of compromises
executed by Webster, Calhoun and Clay, including the Compromise of 1850 and the
Kansas-Nebraska Act, attempted to ease the  rising tensions, and maintain the balance of
free states and slave states.
Many in the North, however, were increasingly disturbed by pro-slavery legislation.
Fugitive Slave Laws required the return of runaway slaves and the Dred Scott decision not
only denied Dred Scott his freedom but nullified the Missouri Compromise. Southerners Field Test Edition      
were outraged over John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. The issues were also debated in
the political arena between Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln in 1858. While slavery
was an important issue of the debates, the other issue centered power, the power of the
states versus the power of the federal government. Divisiveness intensified and two years
later, when Lincoln was elected president, Southern states began to secede.
Abraham Lincoln, and other Northern leaders, viewed secession as illegal and believed the
seceding states were rebelling. The states that seceded regarded themselves as a part of a
newly independent nation, The Confederate States of America.
Though the firing on Fort Sumter officially started the war, no one, North or South,
anticipated the devastation that would follow. Many battles would take place over the next
four years as the South fought to preserve their economic and social structure, and the
north fought to preserve the union and ultimately bring an end to the institution of slavery.
The Civil War holds the record for the highest number of American casualties of any war.
Much of the devastation was a result of new technology and changes in methods of warfare.
The Battle of Antietam, remembered as the bloodiest battle of the war, paved the way for
Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation which officially freed slaves in the Confederacy. The
devastating Battle of Gettysburg, with the largest number of casualties of the Civil War, is
remembered for Lincoln’s inspiring speech, the Gettysburg Address. Finally, at
Appomattox, the war ended with Lee’s initial surrender. Though the war wouldn’t officially
end for another month, the country faced another great tragedy only two days later with
the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
By the war’s end some of America’s greatest challenges lay ahead and the country would
face them without the leadership of Abraham Lincoln who had considered the possibilities
for reconstructing the nation.  Lincoln’s successor, Andrew Johnson, held different ideas, as
did the Radical Republicans, who, for a period of time dominated reconstruction.
Though Presidential Reconstruction, from 1865-1867, included the 13th, 14th, and 15th
Constitutional Amendments passed and signed by Southern states as a condition for
reentering the Union, little was done to enforce them. Under Andrew Johnson, the
Confederate leaders retained much of their powers in the South.  In 1867, the Radical
Republicans took over the South with the  Reconstruction Acts of 1867. Andrew Johnson
tried to veto these acts and was viewed as too punitive to the South. His vetoes were
overridden and followed by his impeachment  by the Radical Republicans. The Radical
Republicans spent ten years controlling the  South and attempting to implement true
equality for freed ex-slaves. In 1877, Union troops withdrew from the South ending the
period of Reconstruction. As Union troops left, a new order of oppression emerged in the
South.
Although Abraham Lincoln established the Freedman’s Bureau to assist in the transition to
freedom, Southern States resisted any attempts to establish equality. While Southern
states pursued re-admittance to the Union they also passed Black Codes, limiting the rights
of Freedmen. Under Radical Reconstruction these codes were repealed but shortly after
Reconstruction, legalized segregation emerged with the Jim Crow laws and the Supreme
Court case, Plessy v. Ferguson. Field Test Edition  
The Civil War succeeded in preserving the Union and in the emancipation of millions of
slaves but the road to equality for African Americans was not over.  African Americans and
other minority groups still had much to face as they struggled for true equal rights.
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