Free Essay On How Americans Perception Of Government Has Changed Since 1865

Reconstruction of America started after the civil war that occurred between 1860 and 1865. After the end of the civil war, there was need to reconstruct the country after the loss of many people. The period of reconstruction lasted from 1865 to 1876. This was a period of great challenges as the nation attempted to reorganize its structure and accommodate the southern states that now had to become the part of the Union. The slaves, who had been freed in the south, also had a challenge of trying to cope with the systems and it was hard for them to integrate into a new society which was still biased against them.
There were major challenges in line with the political and social agreements during the reconstruction period especially on who will be allowed to vote and how the south was going to rebuild after the destruction and freeing of the slaves. When Abraham Lincoln died, Andrew Johnson took office and this made it even harder for the blacks in the south. A legislative act which was commonly referred to as the black codes was adopted and this hindered the attempts of freed slaves to start a new life.
After reconstruction there were major amendments which gave the slaves who had freed from the south some civil rights although not equal to the others. They enjoyed freedom but the right to vote was not granted to them immediately. Reconstruction was followed by industrialization in the major cities. At this moment America was quickly becoming the world power especially after World War I. Industrialisation in the country was brought about by an increase in the level of productivity as well as an increase in the number of industries. It was also brought about by the increasing economic growth in the country.
During the 1860s, the country was under the Republicans. However, changes were seen when the country transformed into a progressive era. America was faced with two different points of movements in their politics that is, the populists and the progressive movements. The populist agenda focused reform in the banking industry specifically to allow free silver coinage. The populist movement wanted to return sense of power in the working man. The populists there focused on the economical point of view.
On the other hand progressive movement engaged in focusing on reforming the political process as a whole instead of focusing on economics systems. This movement saw corruption, legal systems and exploitation of workers, women and children as the primary enemy. These things were taken into consideration at the expense of the economic factors affecting the country. Some of the economic factors begun to worsen and this contributed a lot to the great depression.
The great depression started in United States and took place from the year 1929. It was able to shake the economy United States economy as well as that of the rest of the world. Industrial growth was affected and there was a lot of unemployment that had hit the land. Poverty spread across to many people as a result of being laid off the industries that had a tremendous growth after reconstruction.
America was able to recover from this depression though slowly and the industries and the cities grew again with the Americans obtaining their jobs again. This period lasted until the start of the Second World War. After the recovery of America from the great depression around year 1929, the Second World War was set to begin with the Germans initiating it under the leadership of Adolph Hitler at around 1939. This war lasted until 1945. After America emerged the victors together with her allies, the economical development of United States and the other countries improved.
In conclusion, the United States of America has experienced ups and downs in their politics as well as the economy since 1865. The reconstruction saw them recover from civil war and develop as far as industrialization is concerned. This ensured massive employment and growth of her economy. The great depression affected this growth but after taking the necessary measures, America has seen the recovery of her industries and cities. The victory in the World War II also ensured that America remained super power and was in control again.