My Reconstruction Photo Timeline by Hudson Sonnenstein

Introduction

hudsons12_1 — 2025-01-03 19:40:30 UTC

The Civil War was a period in American history where there was conflict between the North and South. The North wanted to abolish Slavery where the South did not. The North (the Union) won the war. After the war, the North wanted to integrate the former slaves from the south to make them feel a part of society. Reconstruction was the North's attempt to create an interracial society including participating in government decision. Unfortunately, in some instances it failed. The White Southerners made a set of laws called Black Codes to restrict the freedom and rights of formerly enslaved people. The KKK was a White Supremacy group that used force and violence to intimidate all other races including the formerly enslaved black people. The legacy of Reconstruction unfortunately is not completely positive. There was some success due to the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments which abolished slavery and gave equal rights to people. But unfortunately today there is still much racism. There is police brutality towards blacks, many white supremacy groups, and a lack of education and job opportunity for blacks leading to a drastic difference in income overall.

The Need for Reconstruction

hudsons12_1 — 2025-01-03 19:45:35 UTC

Reconstruction was started as a result of the Civil War where the North wanted everyone to be free and treated equally and the South wanted the opposite. Following the North’s victory, there was a need for America to change and rebuild our country. This included newly freed slaves and how they would be part of this new chapter in America's history.

The 14th Amendment

hudsons12_1 — 2025-01-03 19:46:58 UTC

The first interracial government was formed following the Civil War during Reconstruction. The 14th Amendment guaranteed equal protection for all Americans including all formerly enslaved people. This allowed them to have high paying government positions.

The 15th Amendment

hudsons12_1 — 2025-01-03 19:48:25 UTC

The 15th Amendment was America taking a bigger step into making the interracial government a reality. It gave all men including the formerly enslaved the freedom and power to vote. This made them feel them feel a part of the country because there voice was being heard and listened to.

The Black Codes

hudsons12_1 — 2025-01-03 19:50:27 UTC

One of the failures of Reconstruction were the Black Codes where there were laws set in Southern states that limited the freedom of the formerly enslaved people. These codes restricted the rights of black people to move freely, to work and to own property. These Black Codes started segregation in the South.

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

hudsons12_1 — 2025-01-03 19:52:36 UTC

Another one of the terrible failures of Reconstruction was the formation of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). This was a White supremacy group, who believed they were superior to all others. The KKK used force and violence to intimidate and control those of other races.

Modern Day Racism

hudsons12_1 — 2025-01-03 19:53:41 UTC

This is a picture of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by a white police officer in 2020. The police officer used extreme and unnecessary force against him. This connects to Reconstruction because it shows that black people are still being racially profiled and discriminated against today. It also highlights the use of power and authority against black people.

Financial Differences Among Races

hudsons12_1 — 2025-01-04 15:51:26 UTC

This graph represents the difference in income between white and black/latino people today. White people are earning on average a significant amount more that the other races. This shows that this is still a lingering problem since Reconstruction, because white people overall have been given more opportunity to education and jobs.

White Nationalists Today

hudsons12_1 — 2025-01-04 15:54:31 UTC

This picture represents White Nationalists, a group that exists today, believing in supremacy and hate towards others. There are many of these groups that still exist today including white separatists, neo-nazis and the KKK. This connects to Reconstruction because it highlights the failures and shows blacks are still treated horribly by these groups.

Conclusion

hudsons12_1 — 2025-01-08 18:53:52 UTC

In conclusion, the legacy of Reconstruction has both positives and negatives. There are unfortunately more negative effects from Reconstruction that we sadly still face today. We see this through modern day racism, White Nationalist groups, police brutality toward blacks, and the significant financial differences between white people compared to Black/Latinos. The 13th, 14th and 15th amendments are positive, they gave people of all colors equal rights, but it did not change society and how they feel and treat people. I am left with the main question we should all still be thinking about, Why does all this racism still exist and how has it not changed from 160 years ago!