After the US Civil War a new period began, this period is known as reconstruction of the South, in the United States. In this week’s essay I will be writing about the reconstruction of the South of the US; it’s causes, it’s effects, and a little bit about the Ku Klux Klan.
The Causes and Effects
After the US Civil War, the US Congress installed many dramatic reforms to the South of the US. The main cause for the reconstruction was to rebuild the south, and give the former slaves new rights and freedoms. But these reforms were too harsh on the South(you cannot expect people to change their views immediately), and they even caused some unnecessary tension in the South.
Also the Union military was involved in enforcing these reforms. So in general these reforms did not go exactly as planned, because, for one: they were harsh, two: they didn’t give the people of the South time to change their views(again you cannot expect people to change their views right away, it won’t work), and three: because these new reforms were enforced harshly, some people in the South grew angry, and groups such as the Ku Klux Klan came to be. Which was unnecessarily and even more damaging to the rebuilding of the South. Also because of the harshness of the enforcing of these reforms and the anger of the people from the South, discrimination towards African Americans continued for many more years. So in reality the reconstruction period really did not work or benefit the South for the better; there could have been better ways to reconstruct the South.
The Ku Klux Klan
Specifically I will be writing about the Ku Klux Klan that was around during the 1860s. The person who created this Klan, was a Confederate veteran, named Nathaniel Bedford Forrest, also other Confederate veterans were involved in the creation. These veterans were frustrated and angry because of the reconstruction in the South, they wanted everything to remain the same it had been before the Civil War.
The group itself created much problematic violence and discrimination towards African Americans. Which did not improve the condition in the South, and made it actually worse. The Klan was disbanded in 1869, but forms of it returned in different periods, for example in the 1920s.
Conclusion
In this week’s history essay I wrote about the Reconstruction period, after the US Civil War.
The Dreamer 