African American Reconstruction Essay Example

Reconstruction was a very controversial period in American history and the question of “were African Americans free” is highly debatable and there are strong arguments for both sides. There were amendments passed during reconstruction that gave African Americans rights but there were things like black codes that stopped them from enjoying those rights. African Americans were not free during reconstruction because the rights that they gained were blocked by certain laws and obstacles so they couldn't exercise those rights.

Black codes were discriminatory, restrictive laws passed in the south to maintain an idea of white supremacy and a free workforce. A few examples of these laws said things like black people weren't allowed in certain places without permission from their employer, and that black people weren't allowed to rent or own property in a certain place. The reason that these laws were beneficial to whites is the fact that they had extremely unfair punishments. The punishments sometimes made the black people pay a fine, suffer corporal punishment(being whipped or beaten), and being forced to work for free. The government made money off of this because they got the black people to work on projects or city improvements for free, instead of having to hire people. Another reason why I say that blacks were not free is that they were often attacked/abused by white supremacists just because they were black. Henry Adams wrote about this and he said “I met four white men about 6 miles south of town. One of them asked me who I belonged to. I told him no one. So he and two others struck me with a stick and told me they were going to kill me and every other negro who told them that they did not belong to anyone.” They were often blocked from voting because white supremacists would use threats or violence to keep the government white. The Ku Klux Klan act of 1871 made it so that violence from white supremacy groups, like the KKK, was illegal and that authorities could intervene. This act was not particularly effective though because violence from the groups and disenfranchisement of black people continued well into the mid-1900s. (document B) (timeline) (document C)

African Americans gained rights through the reconstruction amendments like the right to vote, citizenship, and equal protection of the laws. On the surface, it seemed like black people were free but the previous things shown all were examples of how they were still treated as less. If anything, the racism and discrimination against blacks got worse along with the gain of these rights and gaining freedom. The 13th amendment abolished slavery and made it illegal; except as a punishment for a crime that you have been convicted of. White supremacists and racist government officials used this as a loophole though, as seen with the black codes. The 14th amendment made anyone born in the US a citizen and gave equal rights and protection of the laws. The 15th amendment gave all US citizens the right to vote no matter what race, color, or previous condition of servitude. So how were black people not free? Well, all of the examples listed earlier were racist, discriminatory, and put obstacles in the lives of all black people even though they were technically legal. Blacks were also able to be elected into the government which you would think was a great helpful thing but was pretty uncommon. As I said earlier, the disenfranchisement of black people by white supremacy groups was very common. This made it so that white officials stayed in power and the southern governments stayed all white. What is the point of being able to legally vote if you can't physically cast your vote due to fear and violence? (Document A) (Timeline)

This is why I believe that African Americans were not free during the reconstruction period. All of the examples I've given prove that black people had their rights denied and were discriminated against even though they legally had certain rights. In conclusion, I think that African Americans were not free during reconstruction and that the examples I have given solidify my argument very well.