Second Reconstruction Act [23rd March 1867] is an article written by Schulman (n.d.) and published on the main history website. Notably, the reconstruction Acts were enacted in the U.S. between 1867 and 1868, after the civil war that ended in 1865. The reconstructions were made to explain how the southerners would become members of the union again, and during this time, most of the southern region had military, who needed to ensure the laws were adhered to, and another war did not come up. Schulman (n.d.) explains the Second Reconstruction Act, which was made on 23rd March 1867, and it was aimed at supplementing the First Reconstruction Act, which left southerners confused on their role in the reinforcement of legislation. The Second Act of Reconstruction explained that military commanders were in charge of registering voters and hold elections in their territories. Additionally, the second reconstruction ruled that each voter needed to recite the registration oath vowing to support the constitution and abide by the law. Therefore, the second reconstruction act was essential to the history of the U.S. because, in addition to the voice of black-Americans getting acknowledged for the first time, it helped in more unification of the nation.
Notably, the reconstruction aimed to ensure that any male U.S. citizen aged 21 years ad above needed to get registered. The oath which these people required to take stated; the age, the county which once resided in and for how long, and a promise never to take part in a rebellion or war against any other state. Moreover, the individual needed to affirm that they had never taken an oath as an officer or member of Congress of the U.S., and they were not members of any state legislature ether as judicial nor executive officers of any state. Additionally, the individual taking the oath vowed to support the U.S. constitution and abide by the laws, entice other people to do so, and vow in the name of God, amongst other things. Then, the second part of the reconstruction required that after the registration, a commander-general needed to appoint and delegate an election, but give a thirty days’ notice. The third section explained that the registered voters would vote for or against a convention, and the decision made by the majority of people would be passed. The fourth section explains that the general commander had to choose officers to oversee the election process. Lastly, section five of the reconstruction explained that if most people vote for the constitution’s ratification, the convention president will forward the results to the U.S. president. However, for Congress to approve the decision, they needed to prove that the elections were free and fair. After approval of the elections, the representatives and senators would get admitted to governance.
According to the first reconstruction Act, the method used to count votes ensured that most of all the registered voters had voted in favor of a given policy. Markedly, this could be difficult in making policies because there were instances when most of the registered voters could fail to vote; this would result in nullification of the elections. Thus, the second reconstruction amended this by passing a rule that a decision would be made to pass if most of the individuals who voted had chosen it. Therefore, this made it easy for the constitution to get ratified.
Notably, the second reconstruction act was a success because it contributed massively to the United States’ unification. Markedly, in 1866 most Americans felt that the union was not efficient in the reconstruction, and the definition of freedom for the African Americans was not adequate. Thus, the presidential reconstruction aimed at uniting all the people in America, regardless of their color, was not effective. Neither did it result in justice nor healing. Consequently, the Republican Congress was elected, and people pushed it to help in the passage of the reconstruction acts, which were split into three distinct groups.
The second reconstruction act ought to be the most important because it allowed blacks to vote since it shows that people were treated equally regardless of race. By this time, even the white women did not have a right to vote; therefore, giving the black Americans voting rights showed they were getting equal treatment to the white male Americans. Thus, the notion helped result in some women, and eventually, everyone who had attained the legal age to have a chance of voting.
The second reconstruction act remains relevant even for modern U.S. history because it helps address some central issues, some of which are still being handled up to date. For instance, reducing racial discrimination by giving the black American men a chance to vote showed that measures were being taken by the authoritative. However, making the lack of being legal citizens of the U.S. could have contributed to one of the most significant issues of concern in modern America, which is immigration. Notably, the progressive era, which marked the beginning of the modern U.S., was mainly a result of a drastic increase in urbanization, industrialization, corruption, and immigration. There could have been a probability that if the blacks were still getting ill-treatments and not considered equal citizens in the U.S., the total immigrants could be below. However, the second reconstruction had allowed them to vote and even make their decisions to count in the national government’s policies. Moreover, the African-Americans were getting remuneration for their services, unlike traditionally, where they were considered slaves and could not get ay payment. Thus, giving them wages for the tasks they did and even land enticed others to sneak into the U.S., both legally and illegally, to get better lives.
Markedly, despite some southerners perceiving the first and second reconstruction Acts as mortifications to the U.S. constitution, the radicals from the northern region and the moderates comprised massively to ensure about two-thirds of the Congress supported the reconstruction. Markedly, most of the southerners were disappointed by the temporary military who were deployed to ensure that they did not end up starting another war in the U.S. Nonetheless, the Congress still failed to send enough troops in the south to arrange for elections and register voters.
Notably, up to date, the impact of the second reconstruction act is felt in the U.S. because it helped for the first time, the voice of the Black-Americans to be heard in the U.S. Allowing the black American men to vote also resulted to even the women, both black and white, getting the right to vote. Moreover, this helped in the U.S. getting more united because all people were getting equal treatment.