Douglas Vision of Reconstruction

Introduction

The article reviewed in this study was written by Fredick Douglas who was one of the major champions of radical reconstruction. Studies show that radical reconstruction was meant to streamline the challenges facing the south due to poor governance and failure to make stern decisions against social evils like slavery¹. The major factors that stood in the way of Douglas vision can be listed as;

• Congressmen who lacked the political will for minority groups in the US
• Lack of assertive laws to serve people without discrimination
• Dominant social stereotypes on social evils like racial prejudices and slavery

The congress had the mandate to ensure that they passed laws which would support the reconstruction of the south after the war but instead it lacked the political will for such an action¹.  Even the leaders from the congress itself had developed various social stereotypes against minority groups in the US like the black Americans. Studies show that there was a Civil Rights Bill, Freedmens Bureau Bill and the proposed constitutional amendments; but the three did not meet the capacity to reconstruct the south unless it was adopted to form a centralized form of governance¹.

Despite individuals like Dougals being on the forefront in support of reconstruction opposition from radicals would not allow for significant changes¹. Streamlining the process of reconstruction would need that all regions be given the mandate to make their own laws so that power would be given to the people. In other words with power given to the people to decide then it would be easier to ensure that the government made laws to serve diverse groups equally regardless of origin and race¹. [1]

Reference list

Douglas F. (1866). Reconstruction, Atlantic Monthly 18: 761-765 Retrieved on 30^th January, 2009 from http://afroamhistory.about.com/library/bldouglass_reconstruction.htm

[1] Douglas F. (1866). Reconstruction, Atlantic Monthly 18: 761-765