Reconstuction video

 In class, we watched the recognition video, which did a great job extensively showing the times during the reconstruction period and the many hate crimes against the black community. After the Civil War, many thought it would be changed for the black community, and they would now be treated as equals. Unfortunately, this was just not true. There were efforts made. For example, Lincoln was still pushing forward for more rights for African Americans, but then he was assassinated. After this, President Johnson came into office, but it was hard to see his views on everything because he was from the South but hated the plantation owners. So many people on both sides did not enjoy him, and he did not help make anything better in this country. 

Johnson created the Freedmen's Bureau, which got 850,000 acres of land for free men. For the southern plantation owners who wanted a pardon, they would have to contact him and beg for their land back personally. This caused outrage, and many southern landowners were furious. Soon, they returned the land to the Confederates and contracted back with the white landowners. 

After this, many white Southerners were still outraged and moved away from where they once were. So, they went into larger cities where many African Americans lived. This caused very high racial tension, and it started to spark riots and shootings across multiple cities. The most famous city this happened in was Memphis, which eventually led to the death of 48 blacks and the destruction of black churches and schools. Hate crimes like this were constantly happening around the country and caused many more deaths.

Overall, this movie demonstrated extensively how the black population in America was treated at this time and how the Civil War was not the end of equality but was just the beginning.