Re: What's the deal with Reconstruction?

Reconstruction is the time in which Southern states were reorganized into the Union. It took place after the Civil War and was led over the course of years by Andrew Johnson and Ulysses S. Grant. The reason Reconstruction took place was because of how the war destroyed the South. The South had issues with their economy, politics, and society and was in desperate need of help.

Some things that went well with Reconstruction was the fact that it was reintegrated into the United States, and it was no longer a separate group. Another good point Reconstruction brought on were the Amendments 13, 14, and 15. The papers gave rights to to any race and freed slaves.
Some things that didn't go so well, though, were the fact that the freed slaves could not vote because of the Grandfather law (which meant if your grandfather was a slave, you couldn't vote). At the time, the president Andrew Johnson thought he was doing great and noble things, but instead of letting the South vote for their governors, he appointed their leaders instead. This was another downfall because it took away the Southerner's rights and the governors created black codes. Black codes passed for black people to have "second class" rights. A few more not-so-great things that came from Reconstruction happened to do with white supremacists that formed groups like: the KKK, the Red Shirts, and the White League.

All of this is relevant today because with such instability and racism in the South today, it creates a boundary of ignorance and bad reputation for the South. Assumptions that each and every one of the Southerners are racist today, give a bad meaning.

One reputable instance the Reconstruction is known for is the fact that the Union created an army that fought to enforce laws. The general South did not like the North for a long time, 130 years to be exact, until some voted for Ronald Reagan (a Republican). One comparison to today's world is the US troops being sent to Iraq. One motive for the Iraq war was to go and help control the Taliban. When the Taliban was rumored to have fallen, the US troops went in and have been there for many years now. After all this time, the Taliban has actually gotten even stronger.
An example of this is quoted from Fox News: "And it's getting worse because the Taliban have reemerged, the 68,000 American troops combined with the NATO forces, according to General McChrystal, are not enough to regain lost momentum..."
To view the full story, go to http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,557640,00.html