To What Degree was Reconstruction after the Civil War successful

Reconstruction was successful politically in its attempts to solve the problems of how to deal with the newly freed slaves and how to bring the seceded states back into the Union after the Civil War; however, many of these methods were unsuccessful or had no effect socially or economically. Some solutions determined by Reconstruction included: the passage of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments; the Freedmen’s Bureau; the Reconstruction Act of 1837, the Civil Rights Act, and the Enforcement Act of 1870. In 1865, Congress ratified the Thirteenth Amendment, which stated that “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States.” Simply put, the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery. The passage of this amendment was successful politically; however, many states did not readily enforce this law. Many even passed discriminatory laws known as black codes. These laws were seen by Republicans as the driving vehicle for the reconstitution of the Democratic Party in the South. The black codes placed numerous restrictions on African-Americans including the prohibition of blacks to carry weapons, ser

The Freedmen"tms Bureau was created by Congress just before the war to aid refugees, freedmen, and Southerners who had been uprooted by the Civil War by furnishing supplies and medical services, establishing schools, distributing clothing, and much more. However, with the help of the Freedmen"tms Bureau, former slaves began to slowly pull themselves back up. The South still found ways to keep blacks from exercising their civil rights, which included the above mentioned black codes and racist groups like the Ku Klux Klan. As a result of this act, all remaining Confederate states agreed to set forth terms and were reentered into the Union by 1870. In the face of violence from groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments provided no protection for the African-American citizen. This act was very successful not only because it allowed former Confederate states to peacefully reenter the Union, but because it protected the civil rights of African-Americans and allowed them to execute their votes. The Civil Rights Act extended citizenship to "all persons born in the United States and not subject to any foreign power"of every race and color, without regard to any previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude. ve on juries, testify against whites, marry whites, start their own businesses, and travel without permits. Overall, reconstruction succeeded politically in its attempts to solve the problems of how to deal with the newly freed slaves and how to bring the seceded states back into the Union. The Thirteenth Amendment allowed for the freedom of African-Americans, but they were far from equal. Everyone, regardless of color, was entitled to equal protection of the law and the states were enjoined from violating the rights of citizens to life, liberty, property, and equal protection of laws. This act allowed former Confederate states to reenter the Union if they agreed to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment and grant African-American men the right to vote in their new state constitutions. The Fourteenth Amendment, passed to reinforce and reiterate the Thirteenth Amendment, made "all persons born or naturalized in the United States" citizens of the country. To protect the civil rights of African-Americans, Congress passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867.