Reconstruction Period After the Civil Term Paper

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One of the policies that black leaders fought for was the granting of land to blacks following the Civil War. Freedman saw "land represented as their chance to farm for themselves, to have an independent life. It represented compensation for generation of travail and bondage" (438). Although this demand has strong logical backing in that once freed, black farmers should have equal legal status as white, the reality of the situation did not support such a reformation. The general feeling of race within the northern landscape was very mixed, despite the fight for emancipation; Northerners still saw themselves as the superiors of the black population. Therefore, black leaders were not able to gain strong land-rights for African-American throughout the west. However, the government did relent to giving out equitable land rights to African-Americans during the mass-migration to the West; this was one of the impetus that spawned the greater push for African-Americans to go to the American plains.

One of the most important victories of the black leaders during Reconstruction was the promotion of African-American education. Blacks "hungered for the knowledge in books that had been permitted only to white" (454). Black leaders fought for the established of the Freedman Bureau which helped to found over four thousands schools during the Reconstruction period. The government agreed to fund these efforts as a show of good will towards the African-American population. Education became one of the greatest boons to the freed blacks in the South as they were able to educate themselves and thus level the playing field for greater pushes towards representation within the government and winning within the American system.

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Black leaders and their white allies realized the importance of education, especially at the higher education level. They realized this dream by convincing congress to grant chartering and funding to several exclusive African-American colleges. Thus, even during the Reconstruction era, leaders of the African-American movement were educated enough to hold their own within the political arena. Education was one of the most successful alternatives that black leaders presented during the 19th century. It also proves to be one of the longest lasting policies of achievement during this era, as its enduring consequence was a strong knowledge populace that could stand up for future generations of African-Americans.

However, not all policies pursued by Black leaders were completely agreeable or desirable. Black leaders in the wake of the Civil War wanted to promote black solidarity through uniting everyone into central locales. As a result, black ethnocentric regions began to develop throughout the South and the new Western frontier. Many blacks "wanted" to minimize all contact with whites in essence they didn't take any more foolishment off of white folks (456). The consequence of their decision however was extremely negative in the context of future integration efforts. By isolating black communities, it promoted temporary consolidation, but alienated the newly freed segment from the rest of society. As a result, a greater rift was being created between whites and blacks that would exist until late into the 20th century. The need to consolidate was at the time one of the primary goals of black leadership, however in hindsight, forced integration within the white communities could have been a better alternative that would have….....

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