During 1860 and 1877, the United States survived a Revolution.
During this period many constitutional and social developments affected a great change in the country. Some constitutional developments that caused conflict were the South Carolina Declaration and Three Civil Rights Bills, while some social developments which lead to a revolution was the Freedmen’s Bureau and the Black Codes. Together these events caused a total change to a revolution. The pieces of evidence shown explain what and how this was an impact during this time. One constitutional development in America that changed to a revolution was the South Carolina Declaration. The South’s main settlement to leave from the Union impacted America throughout the Civil War.
In Document A, it mentions that South Carolina took action to leave from the Union with the help of the 10th Amendment stating “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states, respectively, or to the people”. This explains that there were 11 states in total that was due to their conflict with Lincoln and his thoughts and beliefs with this situation. Due to this situation, the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were joined to the Constitution throughout this rebuilding time. Also in Document C, 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments answered questions that began in America to return African Americans to have the right to vote and have civil rights. These amendments provided African Americans liberty, citizenship, and voting rights in America returning their rights in the nation. This was a revolution because in Document D, it mentions “We shall get rid of slavery by constitutional means”. This explains that slavery was finally closed and they were given civil rights, this was a turning point in the civilization.
Then in Document G, there is a drawing of an African American soldier, farmer, and a businessman voting which foreshadowed the fifteenth amendment that African Americans were able to vote.Although the slaves were finally released, people were still struggling for their freedmen which caused a social development. In Document C, the American citizens of African Americans formed a petition to change the constitution to make colored people be able to vote. “The Government has asked the colored man to fight for its preservation and gladly has he done it. It can afford to trust him with a vote as safely as it trusted him with a bayonet”.
Most Africans felt that they were being tricked by their government because after they would fight for their nation, they would still be able to vote for their senators. In the petition, it talks about how the African Americans are being treated, unjustly.In Document D, “The Federal government has no right and has not attempted to dictate on the matter of suffrage to any state”.
Gideon Welles, Lincoln’s Secretary of the Navy wrote in his diary on May 9, 1865 that the Federal Government has no power of whether African Americans can vote or not because the government was not ready to give them their freedom. He felt it was up to the states to choose whether if they had the right to vote or not. In Document E, while white men were The Freedmen’s Bureau that was set up to help African Americans do things like reading and write so they could be more equal to the white man.In conclusion, during the years 1860-1877, many developments both constitutional and social put the nation through a revolution. These things have changed the country greatly not just for the African Americans but also the whites which creates a nation as a whole.
All these events had a big impact to form a revolution.
