Economic Changes During Reconstruction

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After the Civil War, the Reconstruction or the process of rebuilding started in the South between 1866-1877. With the end of the war, slavery also died out with the addition of the 13th Amendment. Although slavery was abolished, it was difficult to enforce it in the South. After what the South did, many Republicans thought they should pay for it, but Lincoln decided to forgive them and stated “with malice toward none.” His plan was to make the voters of southern states take the 10% loyalty oath to the Union and accept the emancipation of slaves. Therefore, Reconstruction brought some political changes by guaranteeing civil liberties to make freedmen equal. Reconstruction also brought economic changes to the South by the Freedmen’s Bureau and the…show more content…
The Freedmen’s Bureau was established in 1865 as a “primitive welfare agency.” This was formed because freedmen had no money, no skills, no literacy, no property and no survival. It provided them with food, clothing, medicine and education. This bureau did not survive the compromise of 1877 because the bureau ended in 1872. There was no land available to freedmen; therefore, they signed labor contracts to work for former masters, which was known as the sharecropping system. They were not allowed to run or quit this job. Freedmen were trapped into this system and were not allow any freedom and turned this into economic slavery. Sharecroppers usually remained either dependent on the landowners or in debt to local merchants. The compromise didn’t survive because it was defeated earlier with this system, treating freedmen like slaves. Furthermore, after the compromise, it left the freedmen alone with the white landowners without any restrictions. Northern Republicans who moved South for economic purposes were known as the “carpetbaggers.” Southern did not like them as they made profit from their

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