Reconstruction: After The Civil War

 America after the civil war, was never the same. It was full of hatred and mixed feelings. Those that wanted a new and improved country, each had their own ideas. The south wanted to keep slavery around, the north wanted to abolish it. There were still civil disputes within the country. Laws such as the codes were being evolved, but even then, this still created tension. 

Separation of the blacks from the whites, was the main problem. After the Civil War, the buildings of black schools, churches, houses, and communities were all being burned. The hatred of white against black was never ending. No matter how many times black families were being peaceful, they were still being terrorized. It is estimated that about 48 blacks between children, men, and women, were killed. 

It took about 3 days for towns and cities to be taken over by white men. Memphis was a major city that was destroyed. The city was burned down and was never the same again. Just a few days later, another city was burned to ashes. The destruction of everything was so frightening that people were moving away, and searching for a better place to live. 

This is where the 14th Amendment came into action in June of 1866. A year later, they moderated it so then the military could make a statement: that the confederates were not in control, and had no say in anything at all. By July of 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified. This was leading to the amendment to be the law of the land. White gangs and smaller groups terrorized the black communities, even those that were in a white town. Anyone that wanted to vote, had to secretly meet during the night outside of town. They did this to avoid being caught, and lynched. 

Due to the problems, black families often had to arm themselves. It did not matter where they went, it could have been to go to the store, they carried anywhere they went. The thought of being ambushed or having a house invasion, lingered in the air. They could come either during the day, or the night when everyone is asleep. This is where the KKK was born.

The KKK made it very hard for not only the freedman, but also for those that were still working. Their nightly raids and burnings made the nights haunting for all those of color. The KKK went from hundreds, to thousands, eventually becoming millions in a short amount of time. Trying to help blacks gain education and rights, were very difficult. No matter how many times they tried to rebuild, everything was destroyed and people were killed. The Reconstruction Era was a very rough time, that was full of horror and burnings.