Monument Project

How the Reconstruction affected American Democracy?
The impacts of the Reconstruction Era like equality distinguish American democracy from pure
democracy. American democracy is a form of government where citizens of a country elect the
officials that create laws and policies based of the people’s needs. Pure democracy in ancient
Greece was similar to American democracy but has some distinct aspects. Pure democracy was
still based of the people’s needs, but it was very selective. Only men who owned land were able
to vote and Greek women and citizens of countries other than Greece did not have the right to
vote. At first, American democracy was also selective like pure democracy was, but over time
and after the Civil War, almost everyone had equal rights, including the privilege to vote.
American democracy changed a lot before and after the Civil War. Before the war, our
democracy was more like pure democracy. Only white men who owned land were able to vote
and had superior rights. Slaves were only counted as three-fifths of a person and did not have fair
rights. But when the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868, it officially repealed the three-fifths
compromise (Kareem). After the civil war, freed people were able to vote, and they had equal
rights like other citizens. Slaves were no longer treated as three-fifths of a person as the three-
fifths compromise was repealed. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a
punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the
United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction (13th amendment). Slavery was now
illegal due to the 13th amendment and freed people had been given the right to vote by the 15th
amendment which states, The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of
servitude (15th amendment).

After the Civil War, American democracy had changed substantially. Now that
freed people were able to vote and have a say in the democracy a lot of things changed, this was
the era of the Reconstruction. Millions of former slaves finding their place as equal citizens
under the law. During the Reconstruction Era, lots of freed people didn’t have jobs, housing, or a
proper education to survive in this nation. “Freed people thought that by getting a better
education it would help build their economy and they would come a step closer to having equal
rights” (NPS 81). The Reconstruction was an opportunity for everyone to rebuild the nation and
unify the North and South which is what our monument demonstrates. The confederates and the
Union pushing an arch together, which symbolizes the broken nation. During the Reconstruction
era, both sides were working to rebuild the nation and make it stronger than ever.
Our monument shows the two sides, the confederates, and the Union pushing a broken
arch together. This arch symbolizes our nation and how both the North and South needed to
work together to rebuild it. As we know, American democracy has changed a lot overtime,
before and after the civil war. Before the civil war, these 2 sides were split apart, and American
democracy was more discriminatory. After the civil war, near the start of the Reconstruction, the
North and South were starting to come together and 8work together to rebuild their Nation which
changed many characteristics of American democracy. Our monument symbolizes this as there is
a timeline running through the arch, and we can see how American democracy changed overtime
as significant events occurred.

Overall, American democracy has changed a lot overtime, from pure democracy to the
type of democracy we have now. Many important events such as the Reconstruction and the
Civil war contributed to American democracy changing drastically and thanks to all the events
that have happened in the past, our democracy today is much better than before.
Cite sources:
https://www.thoughtco.com/three-fifths-compromise-4588466#:~:text=Repeal%20of%20the
%20Three%2DFifths,repealed%20the%20three%2Dfifths%20compromise.
https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/vote
Fifteenth Amendment | Definition, Significance, & Facts | Britannica
Voting Rights in the Reconstruction Era | eduTOOLBOX
All Amendments to the United States Constitution (umn.edu)

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How the Reconstruction affected American Democracy?

servitude (15th amendment).

as significant events occurred.

Fifteenth Amendment | Definition, Significance, & Facts | Britannica

Voting Rights in the Reconstruction Era | eduTOOLBOX

All Amendments to the United States Constitution (umn.edu)

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