Why did Reconstruction end in 1877?
Short answer: Reconstruction came to an end as a direct result of too many Southerners opposing the Union’s plan for it. To them, the reconstruction ideas of the Northerners did not seem fair and many felt the reconstruction plans were designed to punish them.When the North’s efforts were met with such great hostility, the Northerners determination to reconstruct the South began to wane because they did not want to constantly be met with opposition.
Why was the reconstruction of the South a failure?
Reconstruction failed because the Federal Government and the North were not willing to occupy the South for generations, that is how long it would take to change the culture and attitudes of Southerners towards African Americans.Reconstruction was the enforcement of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments on the South by an occupying military force. The occupiers may have been from the same country but they were nevertheless seen as outsiders and unwelcome. Any occupying force, anywhere has to be willing to stay for the long haul, and to win hearts and minds. The North failed on both counts. Reconstruction officially started in 1865, and ended just in 12 years later in 1877 with the Compromise of 1877, officially pulling federal troops from the South.I’m not going into the causes of the Norths inability to maintain control over the South and keep troops stationed there, but this site does a great job of delving into the politics in the Congress and in the White House. The End of Reconstruction - AP U.S. History Topic Outlines - Study NotesAt the same time that the North was struggling to form a United Front in terms of Reconstruction, companies and wealthy urban Northerners were taking advantage of the new economic opportunities in the South, this led to Northern tycoons swallowing up large chunks of land and in essence buying up the South. These business men were called “Carpetbaggers”. These men did little to help win the hearts and minds of Southerners, many who had fought against the very men taking their jobs and resources.All this together is what made Reconstruction impossible. The North was not dedicated to truly changing the South with Reconstruction, and the actions of private individuals and private businesses from the North only alienated Southerners.
Were reconstruction plans too harsh or not harsh enough?
It depends on what plan you're talking about (and it depends on your point of view, as in WHO YOU WERE during the time.) Lincoln's plan for the Reconstruction (which became Johnson's Plan) was seen as decent for the white Southerners who had seceded and lost a war. However, the North felt it was not harsh enough. (Keep in mind, this was Lincoln's plan, so in his pov, he wanted to end the war and get things back to normal as soon as possible.) The Radical Republicans came up with a "Wade-Davis" plan which was the same concept as Lincoln's plan, but WAY harsher. The Radical Republicans saw what a bloody war teh Civil War has been, and they wanted to punish those who had caused such a bad war. So whether the plans were too harsh or not harsh enough depends on your pov, whether you supported freeing the slaves or maintaining slavery.
What were the social, political and economic impacts of the Reconstruction?
Reconstruction in its time brought about slavery abolition, Republican control of all branches of government including many of them on the south, the placing of federal troops down there, and economic collapse as well as a panic. In the long term, it would bring about segregation, Democratic control of the "Solid South", and often their senators wielded considerable brokering and moderate power for the Democratic Party and the great ideals. Reconstruction is what caused segregation by aggravating southern whites into a state of complete anger towards the Republicans for pursuing such policies and the Civil War. Such anger was unleashed in lynching and a taking of power. Because the Republicans imposed this, the country would suffer economically.
History question Please help?
This looks like schoolwork, so you should probably do it yourself. Honestly, the question is misleading. the "redemption" for some of the states was anything but "rapid." The fact that those states represented a market for goods and production of needed resources may have softened it some, but the "reconstruction" period wasn't what you would call easy on any of them. Especially for something that wasn't even necessary, and that Lincoln would have disagreed with.