America's Post-Civil War Growing Pains - Essay Example

The period was also meant to resolve issues caused by reunion of the 11 states which had seceded before the outbreak of the Civil war. The period witnessed a race struggle between the two races i.e blacks and white where the whites attempted to make blacks second class citizens with little involvement of running public issues. The whites had occupied the economic and political power houses until 1890s which witnessed the rise of populist members’ movements. The reconstruction period was also meant to insure the freed blacks from the draconian laws and policies of the white.

Worth noting is that during the America Civil war, president Lincoln had declared a state emergency, and consequently assumed most of the congress powers and this had caused a lot of friction between the congress and the presidency. This would later spill in the reconstruction period where the two centers of power would fight over who lead the reconstruction period. Most members of the congress, more so those referred as the “Radical Republicans” vigorously rejected the president’s assumption of the congress powers. . According to Altbach, P.

G and Umakosh T. (2004) another major turning was the adoption of the three constitutional amendments 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments commonly known as the Reconstruction Amendments. The three amendments generally sought to abolish slavery, guarantee all citizens of United States citizenship irrespective of their birth status and a guarantee of federal civil rights. According to Nicholas Lemann, (2007), the passage of the three amendments marked a legacy in the constitutional development of United States as it gave rise to serious and extensive litigation which led to pronouncements of progressive judgments by Supreme Court leading to striking down of discriminatory state laws.

These amendments have had an effect to the current America current society, economy, politics, and culture as it has allowed Americans from all corners of the world to have citizenship and participate in its economic and cultural life. Ways in which reconstruction period could have been different if Lincoln had not been assassinated If President Lincoln had not been assassinated, the reconstruction period would have seen more twists and turns than the ones experienced during his successor’s Presidency.

Peterson (1995) argues that he would have interacted with Congress in a fairly far less difficult due to his superior political skills, pragmatism and flexibility. On the other hand, Rawley (2003) believes that there would have been attempts by the Radicals to impeach Lincoln and this would have complicated the reconstruction period. Effects of industrialization and urbanization on the average American between 1865-1900 The end of the Civil War provided a great