1920s to the 1950's & Essay

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Because they lived in constant fear that they would fall victim to white aggression, African-Americans in the South were virtually powerless and had little to no chances to get involved in restructuring the Southern community. In spite of the fact that Republicans were initially devoted to helping black people in the South as they struggled to take advantage of the rights they were granted, matters slowly but surely changed and Northerners became less interested in fighting for the African-American cause, since they believed that black people could not assist the Republican Party in any way.

During the Second Reconstruction period, numerous politicians seized the opportunity of getting voters from the South and thus realized that it was essential for them to support African-American enfranchisement. The Kennedy Administration in particular decided that black people played a very important role in assisting the country's local and international dealings. The international context regarding the Cold War can also be considered to have influenced the success experienced by the Second Reconstruction, given that the U.S. needed to consolidate its powers in order to be prepared to take part in a conflict of such a magnitude.

Most people today think about the Second Reconstruction as a reform that was imminent, as it was presumably inevitable for the U.S. not to change its system so as for it to incorporate African-Americans as equals. However, conditions are apparently different, as the Johnson Administration seemed indifferent to the African-American cause and it had not been until numerous influential individuals struggled to achieve equal rights for black individuals that the government actually considered approving the set of legislations. 1965 was an essential year in demonstrating that matters could not go on if change would not happen, as the government realized that African-Americans and everyone supported them were determined to achieve enfranchisement through any means possible, even if this meant that they would have to perform innumerable riots in order to do so.

Courts had also changed their position concerning African-American enfranchisement, as unlike how most courts were in 1870, the ones in 1965 seemed more supportive toward the movement and actually played an important role in bettering conditions for black people.
The First Reconstruction was doomed from its very start, as it was obvious that white supremacists and racists would not support a biracial coalition in the South. African-Americans vainly tried to use the equality they thought they had, since they were rapidly put down because of a powerful white-dominated South and because of a relatively powerless North. It would practically be absurd to claim that the North's main intention in fighting the Civil War was that of providing African-Americans with equal rights, as the institution was primarily interested in recovering the Southern states.

The Second Reconstruction was successful because of the general context in which it emerged. However, because of the First Reconstruction's failure, the second was likely to also experience failure, considering that anti-enfranchisement individuals were motivated in fighting for their ideals because they had already experienced a victory in the late nineteenth century. All things considered, African-Americans and those supporting them managed to break away from the prejudice related to the First Reconstruction and from how they were seen in the South. They eventually succeeded in consolidating their position and came to achieve victory through enfranchisement.

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