How could post Civil War reconstruction be considered the "Second American Revolution?"

Essay by freefloatingfearHigh School, 12th gradeB-, April 2008

download word file, 4 pages 5.0

America, as a nation, has undergone severe political, social, and economic changes during the years of 1860 and 1877. Industrialization, modernization, and the way people were thinking brought about change in the nation, such as antislavery, anti-secession, and rebellion. With the Civil War, Reconstruction, and several newly added amendments to the Constitution, America was undergoing what could be referred to as the second American Revolution.

The Civil War left a great impact on the nation. President Lincoln stated that he had no intention of interfering with slavery but the south had no actual right to secede from the Union. When South Carolina was the first state to secede and other states quickly followed, Lincoln felt that he had to take matters into his own hands and enacted his power as both the Commander in Chief and the Chief Executive. We see in Document A that South Carolina felt differently about this issue.

They felt that there isn't anything written in the Constitution that says that can't secede and because the people were unhappy they had the right, as a sovereign state, to secede. The southern states seceding was the first step towards the need for reconstruction.

Lincoln enacted the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves that were still under possession in 1863. This only applied to Confederate States outside of the union and border-states were still allowed to keep their slaves. Eventually, in 1865, the 13th amendment was passed which abolished slavery. Even though blacks were now freed, they had no role in society yet and had difficulty adjusting to their new freedom. In a political view of things, more Republicans were introduced into both houses of Congress, which meant more support of their freedom. Democrats were more opposed to their freedom and criticized Lincoln. In Document C, we see that...