Introduction
Geography and migrations played a critical role in American politics, economics, and society from the end of the Reconstruction era throughout the 1980s. The Reconstruction, which lasted from 1865 to 1877, describes a historic period that marks endeavors by the US to integrate the freed Blacks into their sociopolitical and economic frameworks. Three major constitutional amendments that ended slavery, redefined citizenship, and mitigated voter discrimination due to color and race characterized the Construction era.1 Essentially, former Confederate States and Union States responded differently to the amendments. This critical era has several positive and negative impacts that transcended the period. The constant factor in the period in question is the influence of geography and migrations on American politics, society, and economy.
The influence of Geography remained apparent after the Construction; former Confederate States exhibited a strong unwillingness to implement the amendments. In response, the African Americans took several measures to fight for the basic citizenship rights that the reconstruction amendments guaranteed. Consequentially, the former confederate states adopted Jim Crow Laws, a compendium of local and state statutes that legalized sexual discrimination. These laws lasted about 100 years after the Civil War up to 1968.2 Black codes in the confederate states determined labor conditions for formerly enslaved individuals. The Southern and Northern States had different responses to the amendments from the Reconstruction era, thereby creating a divided society on social, economic, and political spectrums.
Influence on Politics
The great migration caused increased political activism from African Americans. The laws purposed to provide legal mechanisms to economically incapacitate African Americans, for instance by limiting their voting rights.3 Generally, the former confederate states sought to restore White Supremacy after the construction period through segregation, restricting employment, and lynching. The Blacks, especially from the Union States responded by applying pressure to elected officials, migration, the ballot, and public protest.4 The rise of black activism in the political landscape led to the nascence of the civil rights movement that advocated for inclusion.
Impact on Economy
Former confederate States began pushing for laws to regulate African Americans. The laws, notably Jim Crow Laws limited the economic opportunities for Africans. Many educated African Americans began migrating north in the 1920s because of the fewer education opportunities.5 Similarly, several publications, like the Chicago defender, emerged to encourage a northern migration of African Americans. The great migration doubled the income of the Blacks. For this reason, families that moved from the south enjoyed b better economic and education opportunities in the North. The 1980s saw an increasing number of immigrants in to the US, especially from Mexico, and the rate has been rising since.
Social Impact
The families that migrated north had blended experiences; despite access to higher incomes and education opportunities, these communities had higher incarceration tendencies. Another social impact of the migration was a disproportionate population in terms of racial distribution between the Northern and the southern states, which reflects to this day. Currently, the Mexican immigration into the United States has fewer restrictions due to the passage of the North American Free Trade Act.6 As such, trade deregulation permits equal opportunities that limit the immigrant’s crime rate due to limited economic opportunities.
Conclusion
The Reconstruction Period of the American history has a negative valence. A Focus on the limiting laws that former confederate states adopted masks the positive influences of the occurrence. To begin with, the participation of Africans in Politics increased. Similarly, the economic conditions of freed slaves increased. In conclusion, the Reconstruction period set the tone for the social, economic, and political participation of Africans in the US.
Bibliography
Amakawa, Jonathan, and Jonathan Westin. “New Philadelphia: using augmented reality to interpret slavery and reconstruction era historical sites.” International Journal of Heritage Studies 24, no. 3 (2018): 315-331.
Bailey, Zinzi D., Justin M. Feldman, and Mary T. Bassett. “How structural racism works—racist policies as a root cause of US racial health inequities.” New England Journal of Medicine 384, no. 8 (2021): 768-773.
Bobadilla, Eladio. “DREAMers, Immigration History, and the History of the Present.” Reviews in American History 49, no. 1 (2021): 142-148.
Locke, Joseph L., and Ben Wright, eds. The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open US History Textbook, Vol. 1: To 1877. Stanford University Press, 2019.
Pospíšil, Martin. “Bill Clinton’s Economic Policy US Economic Policy 1993-2001.” (2006).
Reece, Robert L. “Color crit: Critical race theory and the history and future of colorism in the United States.” Journal of Black Studies 50, no. 1 (2019): 3-25.
Footnotes
- Locke, Joseph L., and Ben Wright, eds. The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open US History Textbook, Vol. 1: To 1877. Stanford University Press, 2019.
- Reece, Robert L. “Color crit: Critical race theory and the history and future of colorism in the United States.” Journal of Black Studies 50, no. 1 (2019): 3-25.
- Bailey, Zinzi D., Justin M. Feldman, and Mary T. Bassett. “How structural racism works—racist policies as a root cause of US racial health inequities.” New England Journal of Medicine 384, no. 8 (2021): 768-773.
- Bobadilla, Eladio. “DREAMers, Immigration History, and the History of the Present.” Reviews in American History 49, no. 1 (2021): 142-148.
- Amakawa, Jonathan, and Jonathan Westin. “New Philadelphia: using augmented reality to interpret slavery and reconstruction era historical sites.” International Journal of Heritage Studies 24, no. 3 (2018): 315-331.
- Pospíšil, Martin. “Bill Clinton’s Economic Policy US Economic Policy 1993-2001.” (2006).