Presidential Reconstruction was a plan that was implemented by former President Andrew Johnson in 1865 (University of Houston, n.p.). This plan gave the white southerners the freedom to regulate the transition of the black people from being slaves to freedmen. This is one of the important turning points of the American history, as slavery has been very significant to the lives of many African-American people during this period. Despite the provision of freedom to former slaves, the Presidential Reconstruction did not allow them to be part of politics in the south. This was a significant event for many African-Americans, both men and women, as they were not given the total freedom after the abolishment of slavery. Besides being excluded from politics in the south, black people were not in favor of the Reconstruction because the former president allowed the state government to pass the “black codes”, which regulated the lives of the African-American people. For instance, the black people’s rights were granted, but there were still limitations and their economic options were also limited. For white southerners, this event has been quite frustrating. That is because; the Reconstruction gave the former slaves the rights that they did not have during the start of this new policy. These rights include the right to vote as well as the right to hold a public office, which in the end, turned into intimidation. Thus, violence has become the way of reaffirming each other’s supremacy. In addition, the freedom that was given to former slaves enabled the African-American men and women to work for whites, but the condition of crop-sharing, which means that are now working for their own lives.
Work Cited
History.com. "Black Leaders During Reconstruction - American Civil War." HISTORY.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2016. <http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/black-leaders-during-reconstruction>.
