American History the Reconstruction Exacerbated the Regional

American History

The Reconstruction exacerbated the regional differences between the northern and southern states. The exact conflicts that led to the Civil War in the first place remained for decades after General Lee surrendered at Appomattox, and shortly after President Lincoln was shot dead. The Reconstruction project illuminated the still-existing conflicts between Lincoln's successor Andrew Johnson and the Republican congress. Johnson attempted to straddle the fence and simultaneously appease the South while banishing slavery. In so doing, Johnson supported the so-called Black Codes, which perpetrated the practice of slavery under a different name. Although the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments marked major improvements for former slaves, the Radical Republicans in Congress hoped for a stricter attitude toward the rebel states. Thus the Reconstruction conflict weakened the credibility of the federal government and thwarted progress for African-Americans.

The overall tone of the Reconstruction period in American history closely mimics that of modern-day Iraq. The 2004 presidential election demonstrated in living color the sectionalism that divides the nation. Maps of the United States during the election campaign showed the red vs. The blue as if it were a game of checkers. One hundred and fifty years earlier, similar regional differences divided the Union. The exact geographic boundaries were different in the nineteenth century, but the sentiments are the same. Liberal values, those which are espoused by the blue states and by urban centers in America, can be likened to abolitionist values. Likewise, conservative values, attributed to Middle America red states, can be likened to the plantation South. The United States seems more ideologically divided than it has been since the Civil War: issues even unrelated to Iraq seem to be more divisive than they would have been otherwise. For example, social topics like gay marriage symbolize the regional differences that drove apart the nation in the 1860s as well as today.

3. Present-day urban centers are wellsprings of creativity and new thought. In spite of the widespread violence that characterizes life in the United States, American urban centers thrive on diversity and differences of opinion. Such differences are not tolerated as well in smaller towns in America. Therefore, the very notion that cities need to be "saved" is spurious. In fact, the suburbs of American cities seem to be the most depraved places to live: car culture, lack of natural environment, lack of community cohesion, and segregation mark the nature of modern suburbia and it is doubtful that suburban culture can be saved.

4. Large urban centers are viable in the future of the United States. In fact, the last remaining bastions of civilization in the nation are in the large cities of America: in San Francisco, New York, and Miami. Although urban life has its drawbacks, the diversity and tolerance that characterizes urban as opposed to rural or suburban life is promising. Urban centers are rich in cultural life, in economic opportunity, in ethnic and cultural diversity, and in awareness of the world beyond the borders.

5. The major technologies that helped propel the American economy forward after the Civil War include the railroads and its related industries like steel and coal; and the development of the automobile. The railroad industry linked together otherwise isolated parts of the nation, helping make rural areas more economically prosperous. However, during the initial development of the automobile, roads and cars were not meaningful to the vast majority of Americans. Similarly, the booming textile industry touched Eastern seaboard regions but failed to make an impact on the Western territories. Therefore, although the rapid industrial expansion of the United States was a positive step forward in terms of economic growth and political empowerment, the industrial revolution had negative environmental and social consequences. Farming changed, and some farmers were driven out of business due to the technological developments in agriculture. The rise of big business translated into the demise of small businesses and the end of artisan trades. Regardless, the industrial revolution was a worldwide phenomenon that the United States could hardly ignore.

6. Capitalism has obvious benefits: a free market economy enables any person to become an entrepreneur, to capitalize on his or her creative ideas. On the other hand, the free market economy is inherently exploitative. The most notable problem with capitalism can be seen in the American educational and health care systems. In capitalist America, tax breaks are low for businesses to promote enterprise but social services are likewise low. The European model is in many ways preferable: although taxes are high, individual citizens receive a better deal on education and do not have to face hospital bills on the level of thousands of dollars per day.

7. On the race to Industrial supremacy, the poor people suffered the most. For the most part, the poor were also racial minorities. Therefore, the wealthy whites benefited from industrial growth because of corporate ownership. The trickle-down effect has yet to be observed except in rare cases. The rich do get richer, and the poor remain poor.