A number of different professors worked out a range of theories that explain why people have been unleashing wars for such a long time. People are at war against each other because of intolerance, hatred, religious differences, non-acceptance of other views, etc. One of the main and dramatic points is that people have been using all possible methods to achieve the goal, without giving a thorough consideration about aftermaths and consequences. Professors Winthrop D. Jordan and Charles Johnson, in their works, show their own considerations about the aftermaths after the Civil War and America’s Reconstruction in 1865-1890.
To begin with, it is common knowledge that wars cause destruction, depression, economic and political stagnation, corruption. On the other hand, the Civil War gave people hope that changes would come and their lives would be improved in many ways. Charles R. Johnson admits that African Americans had more at stake in the war’s outcome than any other (Johnson 238). After the Civil war was ended, slavery was finally prohibited. People’s main task was to rebuild the ruined South, as everything there was burnt and destroyed. History knows this process as Reconstruction. The most challenging points of Reconstruction were improving the South in terms of political, economic and social situations. Although these plans were not fully implemented into life, their realization, on the whole, had positive effects. The south did not recover fully, but most acute problems of the postwar period were solved. The government passed laws and introduced amendments the aim of which was to protect the rights of former slaves. Though the law was put into effect, in fact, it gave nothing to people of color, who had been enslaved. Many black people still could not vote; they were limited in chances to get a good job; they were pushed to live in special neighborhoods. In W.D. Jordan’s opinion this was “racial slavery in a free society” (Jordan 65). There was also another problem: it was hard for white to change their mentality and to realize that they are not superior to black people. The white southern population refused to accept black people as their equals. People of color were not economically protected. This was predominantly caused by sharecropping between whites. Hence, there was no choice for the black people, but again to start working for the southern whites. Thus, Reconstruction did not totally recover the South, but to some extent, it improved its conditions.
To sum it up, professors Winthrop D. Jordan and Charles Johnson in their works “The White Man’s Burden” and “Africans in America: America’s Journey Through Slavery” explore the aftermaths of the so-called “Reconstruction”. It is clearly seen from their research papers how despite the good reasons for Reconstruction it mainly suffered a defeat. The white population was simply not ready to accept people of color and treat them as equals. Even though the law that gave freedom to former slaves, was not completely put into effect, it is still can be considered as one of the prominent steps, when people realized that slavery is a huge mistake, that should never be made again. Reconstruction also was the first step in the introduction of equality and freedom, both social and political. It made the nation feel reunited. It is an important part of US history and it even affects our lives today; without Reconstruction, the world is different now.
Works Cited
Johnson, Charles R. Smith, Patricia. Africans in America: America’s Journey Through Slavery. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1998.
Jordan, Winthrop D. The White Man’s Burden. Historical Origins of Racism in the United States. Oxford University Press, 1974.