Thaddeus Stevens

ESSAY: "The North won the war, but the South won the peace."

If Rip Van Winkle had gone to sleep in 1857 and awoke in 1877, it would probably take him quite a while before he would believe reports of what happened during the years he was asleep:
-- A four year civil war that had freed four million slaves and destroyed half of the South's farm implements and livestock
--Presidential assassination
--Ratification of constitutional amendments abolishing slavery, guaranteeing equal rights, and extending the vote to African American males
--Presidential impeachment
--Disputed presidential election

Yet there had been fundamental changes:
---Chattel slavery was over
--Gang system of labor, enforced by the whip, was dead
--20% of African-Americans in the South managed to acquire land by 1880
--Through the 1880s, sizeable numbers of African American men would continue to vote
--Schools, hospitals, black colleges, black churches had been established

Real gains had been won, even though full equality remained an unfulfilled promise.
-from Eric Foner, The Significance of Reconstruction

Using what you have learned about the Reconstruction era, write an essay (minimum 5 paragraphs), which demonstrates whether or not you agree with the statement at the top of this page. Use evidence to back up the points that you make. This essay should demonstrate how much you understand about this complicated, much debated period of history.

Due Monday, Feb. 4