Hindrances Facing Political Reconstruction in the American Southern States Following the Civil War (1865-1877)
Mohammad A. Nayel, Dept. of History, Faculty of Arts, Yarmouk Univeristy, Irbid, Jordan
Abstract
This study aims at clarifying the nature of post civil-war American policies which attempted to bring the revolting southern states back under the control of the Union and overcome the legal and constitutional aftermaths of the war in what came to be known as the ‘Reconstruction Era’. The study also sheds light on the legal and constitutional amendments which influenced the political reconstruction of the south and how African Americans were affected by them.
The study concludes that there was no clear government strategy or plan for the reconstruction process and that the conflict of interests between the Republican and Democratic parties made empowerment of African Americans a secondary concern. They suffered unprecedented violence which resulted in their statistically meager contribution to the political process.