From: Anonymous One
Date: 4/25/00
Time: 8:38:29 AM
Remote Name: 155.247.185.169
Anonymous One Question 1-b Was reconstruction about economic opportunity for the freedmen and or civil and political rights?
Reconstruction was about civil and political rights for freedmen. It was designed to protect the rights of southern blacks and restrict political power of the former federal confederate. It added into constitution definition of U.S citizen which was enacted by civil rights bill. Before the reconstruction. Slaves were denied several human rights. They were not allowed to vote, own any property and to some extend denied citizenship. They also worked for low wages, among that; they did not know their rights as laborer. The blacks were denied opportunities such as education, the right to testify against the whites. The blacks were treated as outcast and the whites thought they did not deserve to have any rights because they were inferior. The reconstruction period set the blacks free. They started participating in politics , and they became active in republican party and some served at some levels of government from U.S congress. The black officers were numerous in deep south than upper south.. the Bauer insisted that blacks be treated with the same legal rights as whites .They left the plantations. They were reluctant to settle down and commit themselves to their former masters. Many of the migrated to other places hoping to find something better. The freedmen preferred to determine their own economic relationship. Many of them opposed the plan to turn into wage laborer. They wanted to stay in the lands with their own families. The reconstruction was an opportunity for the blacks to claim their citizenship and rights as American citizen.