What happened to the South after the Civil war?

Question

Like the details as far as surrendering and reconstruction goes?

Answer 1

As a History teacher (With a BA an MA in History), I can tell you that, for many years, the belief was that the South was the victim and that the North had abused them with corruption and harsh military rule. The "Gone with the Wind" concept of the noble Old South.

In reality, the South after the war was a very harsh and terrorist society against former slaves who had basically been allowed to set up a slave society in all but name by President Andrew Johnson. Disgusted by what they saw in the South, the Republicans in Congress took control of Reconstruction and reversed most of Johnson's policies.

As a result, there were many KKK-like (And the KKK) organizations that sprung up to terrorize Blacks and Republicans in the South. The US govt. put troops into the South in order to establish control.

A lot of the negative perception of Reconstruction in the South came from  perception of harsh rule by Republicans, but, in reality, they most resented the fact that former slaves were given full rights and were even allowed participation in government. The nature of politics at the time was very corrupt everywhere, especially under the Grant Administration, and included many parts of the South during Reconstruction.

Far be it from the South to be the only racists, the North grew tired and uninterested in securing rights for former slaves and ended Reconstruction in 1877 (They also severly underfunded programs designed to help former slaves). When the troops left the Southern states, African-American rights secured during Reconstruction went out the window and segregation, lynching and Democratic rule dominated the South.

There are many subtle details and further examination that could fill a 1,000 page book, but that's the gist on, probably, the most misunderstood time period in American History. Southern historians were able to manipulate the dialogue on Reconstruction and made Southerners the victims. However, in reality, Southerners in Reconstruction resented the fact that they were denied the ability to set up the social structure of the Antebellum South and so you get the idea of Scarlett O'Hara and the nostalgia of the plantation.

Answer 2

After their surrender the Republican north began a process of reconstruction that actually made the lives of southerners much harder than it would have been had they simply let them be. They used various tactics to prevent Democrats from being elected to office, appointed Blacks to positions in State Legislatures, Congress as well as judges, Sheriffs, Marshalls and other positions of authority over Southern Whites. Several Republicans moved to the South and won elections in districts where they had no prior residence, hence the term “carpetbagger.” As a result many Southern Democrats began forming militias to root out Blacks and Republicans in general from the South. One of the most powerful was the KKK. By the turn of the century Southern White Democrats had once again established dominance in their States and established an apartheid system which became known as “Jim Crow Laws” after a landmark Supreme Court Decision. J Edgar Hoover and the FBI ultimately broke the power of the KKK but it still took years to redress all the errors wrought by “reconstruction”. Jim Crow Laws defined the South until the 1960’s however Republicans did not win political favour at the local level in the South until the late 1990’s. It wasn’t until 2000 elections that Republicans finally won a majority of State Legislatures in the South.

Reconstruction and attempts to right old wrongs no matter how noble, only produced decades of misery for White and Black Southerners alike. The post-Civil War era is a study in the dangers of over-zealous attempts by government to manufacture justice. If the government simply stuck to preventing injustice the people would be better off as a whole

Answer 3

The North occupied it and stripped it of pretty much everything under the guise of Reconstruction.  In today's world, it would be like we turned all of Iraq into Abu Gharib instead of helping them rebuild their infrastructure.

Answer 4

in the  true deep south including miss, ala, ga and sc, the punishment still continues. the working class whites are routinely mocked and satirized as rednecks and trailer trash. they are referred to as a genetically inferior group, bitter and clinging to their evangelical religion.

the new south is marked by black advancement and power. that is what black liberation theology seeks to build upon.

Answer 5

it was dispached and small reblleons poped up

Answer 6

The same old slavery believing politicians went back into government and tried to reinstitute the same policies.  That's why there was so little progress in the south for quite some time.  They wanted to return to the days when white skin reigned supreme.  And yes, I am white.