Week 2 Reflection: History of Reconstruction and Redemption”

The History of Reconstruction and the Rise of Jim Crow has been taught to me since elementary school as I am from South Carolina. When you are in the third grade the whole history course is about South Carolina history. When reading the articles I was surprised that they mention Wade Hampton which is popular around the area. With that being said the Reconstruction is what was needed at the time, almost like what had happened at the end of World War 2. It reset the country in ways that will benefit the black community, and try to grow and develop at the time. Did this help the black community or destroy it more and increase damage? Before the war, the only damage being done in a sense were slaves being whipped and having to work all day without pay. Not being fed every day or having a place to bathe, and just be independent as humans. Then when the act of Reconstruction came about everything started getting worse for the better. Allowing blacks to be able to join the government holding public offices, Congress positions, and State Legislatures created a different situation that whites and blacks never seem coming. The mindset of the white leaders changed from control, to control with hate and that turned the states and communities deadly. The black leaders were elected after blacks were allowed to vote, and this begins to equal out the power across the country. With this happening the killing of blacks increased, because why would white supremacy listen to a race they were just controlling with will? They would not do this as they started groups and the organizations to prevent the voting of blacks at the polls. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was the first group that started the killings. The group was made of people that run industries such as doctors, lawyers, policemen, farmers, and poor whites. Everywhere that blacks went from this point on was in danger of losing their lives just off of hate.

The second part of the title "Redemption" is very interesting, because the word could have very different meanings in different contexts. Redemption means the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil. It can also mean, the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment or clearing a debt. I think the second definition was used for most because they were trying to retain power by fear, intimidation, or purchase. Laws were passed to where blacks were "free", and there were no more slaves. The whites were regaining possession by buying blacks or taking their life clearing debt from the land that the country stood on.

Other thoughts about the Reconstruction were the way that it ended and that is interesting. As mention earlier the Reconstruction at first was to build the black communities' confidence in the world, thinking they can become more powerful. Then that was taken away during the Redemption period, and the End of Reconstruction introduced segregation across the country. It also kept blacks and migrates from migrating from place to place by using violence. This kept everything the way it was before, as black business will be only depending on black customers, and eventually being destroyed by whites supremacy groups. Reconstruction was for the better at the beginning, but what are your thoughts on the government using Reconstruction as a process to regain power and to give blacks the impression of equal power? Respond with thoughts and comments in the comment section.

Bibliography: Jim Crow Laws https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws
Picture: "Jump Jim Crow" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_Jim_Crow