Because they wanted to be fair with the freedmen
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Political and reconstruction efforts are aligned.
Initially, President Andrew Johnson favored a lenient approach toward the South during Reconstruction, seeking to quickly reintegrate Southern states without strict conditions. However, as resistance to Reconstruction efforts grew among Southern whites and violence against freedmen escalated, Johnson's stance became increasingly contentious. He often clashed with Congress, which sought to impose more stringent measures to protect African American rights and ensure a more equitable society. Ultimately, his opposition to these congressional efforts led to a deepening divide between him and legislative leaders, undermining the Reconstruction process.
During Reconstruction, the North employed various measures to ensure compliance with federal laws and protect the rights of freedmen in the South. This included the establishment of military districts in the South, the enforcement of the Reconstruction Acts, and the ratification of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. Additionally, the Freedmen's Bureau was created to provide assistance and support to newly freed slaves.
The Freedmen's Bureau successfully provided education to thousands of formerly enslaved individuals, established hospitals, and worked to ensure fair labor contracts. It also helped reunite families separated during slavery, distributed food and clothing, and played a key role in shaping early Reconstruction policies.
After the Civil War ended, one of the main focuses was presidential reconstruction, which created a stronger government to unify the north and south. With reconstruction in place, the South wanted to do it's best to restore order. The closest Congress would allow them to get to that was the intro of black codes(designed to ensure blacks remained second class)
The Freedmen's Bureau, established in 1865, aimed to assist formerly enslaved individuals and impoverished white citizens in the South during the Reconstruction era. Its primary goals included providing food, housing, education, and medical care, as well as facilitating labor contracts and legal assistance. The Bureau sought to promote social and economic integration for freedmen, helping them transition from slavery to freedom. Ultimately, it aimed to help rebuild the South and ensure civil rights for African Americans.
Congress passed a reconstruction plan after the American Civil War to address the issues of rebuilding the Southern states and reintegrating them into the Union. The plan aimed to ensure civil rights for newly freed slaves and establish a new order in the South. It also sought to prevent future secession and secure a lasting peace.
On March 3, 1865, Congress established the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, which was more commonly known as the Freedmen's Bureau. It was to be in service for only one year but, on July 16, 1866, Congress extended the life of the bureau despite the veto by President Andrew Johnson. The bureau's main focus was to provide food and medical care, to help the freedmen to resettle, to ensure justice for the freedmen, to manage abandoned or confiscated property, to regulate labor, and to establish schools. In many cases, it also provided aid for destitute whites. The bureau opened 4000 free schools, including several colleges, and educated 250,000 African Americans. By 1870, 21% of African-American population could read. Although the bureau was successful in its educational goals, it failed in its goal to establish land for the freedmen. The bureau did, however, give 850,000 acres to the freedmen, but President Andrew Johnson revoked the land and gave it to the Confederate landowners. Consequently, the bureau focused upon employment. It encouraged the freedmen to work on plantations, but this became problematic when the freedmen became sharecroppers and tenant farmers. Even though there were many problems, the Freedmen's Bureau did help the newly freed African-Americans to get the rights that they had been denied. These included the right to an education, the right to due process, the right to the practice of religion, and the right to contract.
The political climate in Washington D.C. during Reconstruction was highly contentious and marked by power struggles between Congress and President Andrew Johnson over the direction of Reconstruction policies. Congress, led by Radical Republicans, sought to ensure civil rights for newly freed slaves through measures such as the Reconstruction Acts and the 14th and 15th Amendments. However, President Johnson favored a more lenient approach towards the Southern states, leading to frequent clashes and ultimately contributing to his impeachment.
Politics played a major role in the Reconstruction acts following the end of the US Civil War. What can be called "failed reconstruction" was due to Radical Republicans and others in the North who sought to "punish" the South for rebelling from the Union and causing the Civil War.
The Fourteenth Amendment, The Fifteenth Amendment, and The Freedmen's Bureau