The Compromise of 1877 and Reconstruction, Essay Example

The Compromise of 1877 — the basic details of which, being fully available on the web, I will skip here — symbolizes the failure of Reconstruction in part because the compromise was itself symbolic, being that it probably did not actually exist. But to accept such symbolism one must also accept that Reconstruction failed because U.S. troops were pulled out too soon instead of much later. It is as easy to take that position today as it was at the time, but many others — and not just former Confederates— thought that Reconstruction had done all the good or harm it could ever do, and that remaining U.S. occupation of the South might as well end. The question is whether Reconstruction would have failed less or succeeded more if the troops had remained. The issue was just how responsible the Federal government and its army were going to be for the welfare of the freed slaves — a responsibility that had to be considered in light of a possible outbreak of local Southern rebellions should the troops not be withdrawn soon. Ultimately, it was decided — using the mechanism of the disputed Tilden-Hayes presidential election — that if federalism was going to survive in the South, its states would have to be de-occupied.

The issue is similar to a controversy today involving the South — and by extension the Civil War — all over again: Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court decision this year that voided a requirement of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 requiring certain Southern states and local governments to get Federal approval of any change to their voting laws. The 1965 law was itself an extension of the 14^th and 15^th amendments (1868 and 1870, respectively) to the Constitution and their enforcement acts of 1870 and 1871.[1] The Shelby decision has caused a great outcry among those who think the decision is premature, and that the South will go back to its pre-1965 ways. As in 1877, there is a symbol of a Federal failure of resolve and of Southern intransigence. But only time can tell if the decision will remain symbolic, and if so, of what.

Bibliography

Introduction To Federal Voting Rights Laws. http://epic.org/privacy/voting/register/intro_a.html (accessed August 12, 2013).

[1] Introduction To Federal Voting Rights Laws n.d.