Monday, November 2, 2026 

         Reconstruction Era Documentary 

Portraits of important historical figures of the Reconstruction Era.

While watching the Reconstruction video, I was able to see many events that I and I would think most people probably don't know about. It showed things like what life was like for Black people after the Civil War. It also told us that life for people in New Orleans was very hard and filled with violence all around. Black communities in New Orleans were frequently attacked by white mobs, and at least 48 people died from these attacks. 

There had to be a change, as what was happening to people in the black communties were devestving and needed to be addressed immediately, so some actions were taken to try to stop the violence happening and the risk of future violence against black people.  But with Survivors of these attacks, like Lucy Tibbs, testifying to Congress, it helped to bring widespread attention to this issue and helped in the process of solving it.

 

During the 1800s, the 14th Amendment became one of the most important laws, as it established a birthright to citizenship in the country. So basically, if you were born in the country, then the state cannot deny any person due process or equal protection under the law.

The 14th Amendment also made it so that southern states had to allow black men to vote in the country and they could hold office.

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In 1867, activists and army officers were able to register black voters across the South. The share of black men nationwide who could vote rose from being under 1% at the start of the year to more than 80% by the end of the year. That year, Congress also divided the Confederacy into five military districts, which US generals oversaw. 

Although many people were against black people in the aftermath of the Civil War, there were still some people who were actually fighting with them. For example, poor farmers were one of the alies that they had with them because they both wanted the same thing: better conditions for farmers and both races. 

To conclude, I think video is a very good insight and a way to see how history treats change in the country. As many people did not want to change and did not like change in general, the change that happened during the Reconstruction era was one of the best changes this country has gone through and helped to make this country what it is today.