Reconstruction's Definition Of Freedom

The Merriam-Webster defines freedom as the quality or state of being free. This is a broad definition, so will be interpreted however. Reconstruction was the process of rebuilding the United States after the Civil War. There were opposing tactics on the purpose of Reconstruction. Some believed in being lenient, but there was also those that believed in extreme punishments. During Reconstruction, the 13th,14th, and 15th Amendment which overall “outlawed” slavery. After the Civil War blacks were considered free, but were still living oppressed. Freedpeople could not vote, and were restricted by Black Codes. As stated in the introduction, the definition of freedom is broad, which brings in subjective interpretations. Freedom is the ability to choose and do for oneself. No dictatorship over viewing and hindering that ability. …show more content…
Voting had become fully legal for blacks until the 1900s, about 95 years after the Reconstruction. Voting’s essential purpose is to express a wish to follow a particular course of action in a country. This is a very important and an automatic attribute a free human living in America should be given. The fact that enslaves were now free, and not able to vote strengthens the argument that they are not free. In the 15th Amendment , it stated that, "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."This was due to help freedmen transition from slavery to freedom, these new black voters cast their ballots solidly for the Republican Party, the party of the Great Emancipator, Abraham Lincoln. Although this occurred, black freed women could not vote. For the black men who were able to vote, it was quickly refuted once Black Codes were

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