Reconstruction occurred immediately after the civil between 1865-1877. Numerous and cruel slave codes were adopted during this era by the southerners to control the old social structure. Furthermore, southern law makes aimed at restricting the civil rights of the former slaves. As such, efforts were made during this period to address the challenges of inequality of slaves. Although the federal government faced challenges while reconstructing the South, it managed to readmit the southern state to the union and during this era and ensured the law protected all people through enacting the civil rights Bill.
Challenges in Reconstructing the South
After the thirteenth amendment was passed and the confederacy was defeated, the federal government had to develop policies to address how the defeated nations’ status will be and how these states will be reintegrated into the political life of the nation.
During the era of reconstruction, the federal government faced numerous challenges. The major challenge it faced concerned the newly freed slaves because they did not know what to do with them. In 1865, the federal government established a Bureau known as Freedmen Bureau headed by O. O. Howard (Foner, p. 4) to provide education, humanitarian aid, and relocation services to the freed slaves and whites in the South who had been evacuated by the war. The federal government’s challenge was that it lacked adequate funding to cater to the task it undertook.
In 1868 the fourteenth amendment was passed, and it granted citizenship to every individual born in the United States, whether naturalized or born be granted citizenship (Foner, p. 14). Therefore, the federal government had no choice than giving the newly freed slaves a measure in line with the law. Still, they had to abide by the fifteenth amendment that gave African Americans voting rights. The challenge here was that such laws dependent on state and local enforcement; hence enforcing it as a federal government remained a challenge.
Civil Rights Bill and Law Making
According to Foner, Congress passed the Civil Rights Bill in 1874which later became the civil rights act in 1875 (Foner, p. 24). The bill focused on ending segregation in the United States. Therefore, it stated that all individuals born in the United States were citizens, and it mandated some rights to them regardless of race (The Civil Rights Bill n.d; Johnson’s Veto Message n.d). Congress said that there should be no discrimination in civil rights based on color, race, or previous condition of being a slave. The bill is a revolutionary law-making piece because it guarantees every person equal opportunities and protection by the law regardless of religion, race, and other characteristics. Such opportunities may include rights to a fair trial, vote, public education, and government services.
The opposition to the Civil Rights Bill
The bill faced a lot of opposition, led by journalists, community leaders, and elected officials because they all shared racist ideologies.
The Impact of Civil Rights Bill Today
The impact of the civil rights bill can still be felt today. Civil rights Bill made an outstanding achievement because it led to African Americans’ economic and social mobility across the United States and established equality by banning racial discrimination. Today, discrimination based on sex, race, religion, color, and employment discrimination are not as pronounced as in the past before enforcement of the bill.
Conclusion
Reconstruction era ensured the southern states were brought back to the union. Reconstruction had a significant impact on civil rights since it guaranteed rights to former slaves, and new relationships were defined between whites and African Americans. Civil rights Bill became a revolutionary piece in law-making by achieving equality.