Radical reconstruction was impossible or feasible in the immediate future. The efforts of the North and Abraham Lincoln had to be lauded. They removed the political and social beliefs which was entrenched in the population . This required not only time and effort but acclimatization too. The Reconstruction can be compared to the nation’s current debate on right of people to own guns. The Constitution has said that people can own guns and this has been traditionally carried out by the people. If certain firearms cannot be owned then it would require the government to bring on great legislation. This was written on paper and need not have to be complied with by population .Likewise, the south was so much taken up with the idea of slavery that they found it to be fine and the constitution which labeled them as 3/5 of a person was fine with them . The Emancipation Proclamation could not be done overnight though it was signed .transition could not happen easily “this slave is an object that is the staple of my wellbeing” to “this is a free person, and I lost of the money I invested and must find another way to support my well-being.”
President Lincoln decided that all slaves be freed immediately and the divine right of equality be signed . This endeavor morphed into a gradualist approach with the advent of the Black Codes. The Black codes were a sort of detour from the total liberty of the salves according to Bowles. Though these restrictions depended on state to state regulations , there were many states that removed certain rights from the newly freed slaves .Although these restrictions varied from state to state, many of them sought to remove certain rights from those newly freed( Bowles, M. D. 2011)
The gradual emancipation was also contributed by share cropping which meant that though the slaves were freed there was some sort of economic slavery . Any sort of military action would not only have made emancipation dangerous but very expensive too.
The latter half of the 19th century was full of social and economic progressions. The USA slowly transitioned “from a rural republic to a urban state” (Hawksworth, 2001). The rail road system was considered to be the greatest discoveries of this time . The industrialization and subsequent urbanisation led to migration of workers to cities on the lookout for jobs. Mining of Iron ore and manufacturing led to the expansion of the USA and this necessitated increase in rail roods too.( Bowles, M. D. (2011). The Chinese and Irish immigrant labor worked on the production of these railroads . These jobs were no doubt necessary but this created a division, some becoming extremely rich while others became very poor the work was harsh .Andrew Carnegie became very wealthy .”If thou dost not sow, thou shalt not reap, and thus ended primitive Communism by separating the drones from the bees.”( Carnegie, A. (June 1889). This is the new mantra of the modern day economy in which those who work harder will get farther ahead in life (Bowles, 2011). The native Americans were the greatest losers . The hardships of the native Americans was described as , “They stole a great many horses from us and we could not get them back because we were Indians. The white men told lies for each other. They drove off a great many of our cattle. Some white men branded our young cattle so they could claim them.” (Chief Joseph (1877 ) the effects of these social and economic events had long lasting effects and varied from one social group too another .
The transcontinental rail road which was a significant expansion approved by the government helped in the westward expansion of the country. This expansion allowed the people to go westward. The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act 1883 helped in developing standards for government work. Now the government service was marked with meritocracy and people wanting to work in such jobs had to give competitive exams for selection.
References:
Bowles, M. D. (2011). American History 1865-Present; End of Isolation.Bridgepoint Education, Inc., San Diego, CA.Carnegie, A. (June 1889). Wealth. Retrieved from http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1876-1900/andrew-carnegie-wealth-june-1889.phpChief Joseph. (1877-1879).HYPERLINK “http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/six/jospeak.htm” t “_blank”Chief Joseph speaks: Selected statements and speeches by the Nez Percé chief. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/six/jospeak.htmHawksworth, R., (2001),The American industrial revolution, Video, United States: Media Rich LLC. Retrieved from http://digital.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?Token=47596&aid=18596&Plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&ref=
