Madison Burns

Thomas hr. 6

January 24, 2012

DBQ: Who is Responsible for the Failure of Reconstruction?

Reconstruction is the period of time after the civil war. During this time both the North

and the South are trying to find ways that, would allow the sides to reconnect in a civilized way.

The North is responsible for reconstruction’s downfall and essentially killing the reconstruction

period. This was through lack of control, deep corruption in government, and an in-difference for

the South.

The Northern states during this time after the war really wanted to South to “reunite”

with the North and all become one nation again. This became clear that the South had a majorly

different plan. The North was not able to control the Southern states. Whether it was

Carpetbaggers, The KKK, or just normal people causing the problems, the Northern states were

not able to keep everyone out of trouble or controlled. Yes, the South was resisting the North’s

efforts, but it was the North’s job and responsibility to handle it with a firm hand. Northern

troops were sent into the southern states to help. The Ku-Klux Klan or the KKK, was very active

in the South. They had been known to kill black men, as a part of their white supremacy

message. But they also killed white men that could possibly get in their way (Document A).

Areas where the Northern troops were, the KKK activity did decrease, but it almost impossible

for the soldiers to cover the whole vast area of the South effectively and efficiently. The

Carpetbaggers were another group of people in the South that definitely had an effect.

Carpetbaggers were Northern men that saw an opportunity, an opportunist, so to speak. They

came to the South and took advantage of the situation, economically. They caused problems for

the native Southerners by charging high prices- too high of a price for common goods and land.

This is a part of the North’s failure to succeed because they were Northern people causing these

problems. The North should have been able to set some rules or laws that would help protect the

South from these so-called “Carpetbaggers”. It is something like this that would enrage the South

even more- making the people in the South harder to keep track of and control in a civilized way.

On top of the vast land that was in need of some control, there was major corruption in

the government. Once General, now President, Ulysses S. Grant’s cabinet was full of corruption

in almost every way possible. Harpers’ Weekly in the year 1876, published a very interesting

political cartoon. The point trying to be made is that the government is just so corrupt, that the

officials are just trying to cover it up. Everything shall be “probed to the very bottom”

(Document C). Ulysses Grant was not necessarily corrupt as an individual, but things were

definitely not easy for Grant during his presidency. The military is very different than politics.

Grant was very used to the people doing what he says, when he says it, and exactly as instructed.

This way of thinking didn’t fly in District of Columbia. This is once again, another, way the

North failed- they failed to choose and elect a political president, who understands the situation

at hand. A military minded president, such as General Grant, would have had some nice benefits

but not enough to even the disadvantages out.

` After so long after the Civil War, and it was still a time of reconstruction, the Northern

people reached the point where they absolutely did not care about the South and it’s feelings

anymore. Gerald Danzer of McDougal Littell wrote, “In the 1870’s, Northern voters grew

indifferent to events in the South”. The public opinion of the North began to turn against

reconstruction and its’ policies (Document C). Their opinion did begin to alter. Heather Cox

Richardson from Harvard University Press, spoke about how the pro-Grant and Freedmen

Northerners argued how the blacks were unfit for politics and such (Document D). An argument

like this would have been just another reason why the South was rebelling. The indifference and

change of opinion involving the South would have definitely been a building block towards

failure, caused by the North.

The South did have a role in the reconstruction failure, but the credit should be given to

the North for their mistakes and lack of interest. President Grant was a good man but a weak

president and corruption and lack of motivation led to the failing of reconstruction in the United

States in the years following the Civil War.