Essay on American History 1865 – Present
The period of Reconstruction (1865-1877) can be characterized by considerable changes in political and social life of the country. Blanche K. Bruce’s Speech in the Senate (March 31 1876) highlights the significant role of the state and political rights of all people (Bruce, 1876). The major goals of Radical Reconstruction were not feasible ones. The three major issues to solve by the government were dealing with the states after their joining to the Union; treating southern whites, and dealing with the freed slaves. Lincoln’s plan for reconstruction was opposed by Congress (Bowles, 2011). It is hardly possible to transform a society drastically by government action, especially if the Radical Republicans failed to agree with Johnson’s plan and developed their own Reconstruction plan. Actually, the might attempts to do so prove to be counterproductive. The process of reconstruction and its consequences is demonstrated in the documentary Slavery by Another Name directed by Sam Pollard. The film challenges the assumption that slavery in the United States ended with Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. The documentary shows the emergence of absolutely new forms of slavery after the Civil War, including the deceptive forms of forced labor in the South, involving thousands of black people, who were kept in perpetual bondage. The violence of slavery would continue until the WWII (Pollard, 2012).
As a matter of fact, a more gradualist approach to extending rights to and establishing freedom for African Americans could have been more successful. However, the costs and dangers of such an approach could have been dramatic. The struggle for freedom has always been a complex task. African Americans would have been more successful in achieving their goals, if they had had enough support and power to protest against slavery and discrimination.
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