The Civil War And Reconstruction - 977 Words

A revolution is a dramatic and sudden change in an organization in the social order that is replaced by a new, more favorable system. When Historian Eric Foner called the Reconstruction period â€Å"America’s Second Revolution†, his characterization was correct. Reconstruction can be viewed as a revolution because the previous social order, slavery, was replaced suddenly by a more favorable one, freedom for African-Americans. There was a long period of politicization for incorporating free African-Americans into white society. Reconstruction also revolutionized the preconceived notion that the states had autonomous power. The Civil War and Reconstruction were revolutionary in nature because slavery was abolished and replaced with freedom.†¦show more content†¦All four of the revolutionary principles created by Congress opened the doors for free African-American men into American politics. The participation of African-Americans in American politics was revolutio nary in of itself. The pre-revolutionized system of American politics would have never allowed African-Americans to participate. The biggest way that African-Americans were able to participate in politics was by voting. A great book that exemplifies the politicization of African-Americans was in Howard Fast’s book, Freedom Road. The book showed that free African-American men could be incorporated into the American political system. In the book African-Americans came together to vote on who they wanted to represent them in the South Carolina Constitutional Convention. Without Reconstruction, Gideon an ex-slave would have never been allowed to be elected to represent his constituents in the constitutional convention. He never would have been elected into the Senate in 1870. He also would have never been able to buy his master’s land if it weren’t for the civil rights act that was enacted in 1866. Laws were not the only revolutionary ideals that were created. Revol utionary bureaucracies were also created during Reconstruction. The best example of a revolutionary bureaucracy was the Freedmen’s