In What Ways and to What Extent Did Constitutional and Social Developments Between 1860 and 1877 Amount to a Revolution?

In what ways and to what extent did constitutional and social developments between 1860 and 1877 amount to a revolution?

By 1860, slavery had become America's overriding issue in economic, social, and political realms. The North continued to denounce slavery as it undermined the wage labor system and market economy while the South fought to maintain slavery to sustain their agriculturally-based economy. Besides protecting their economy, the South wanted to keep their version of republicanism, the idea that all white men were equal as long as blacks were slaves, which further elevated the conflict of slavery. With the mainly Southern-supported Democratic Party divided in the election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party emerged victorious. This heightened the North-South sectionalism and caused South Carolina to secede. Other states soon followed and formed the Confederate States of America. A Civil War broke out as the Union tried to preserve the country. After a Union victory and the abolishment of slavery, South underwent political, social, and economic reconstruction. With the Radical Republicans attempting to impose revolutionary adjustments in the South, resistance from southern whites occurred, as they attempted to salvage their way of life. Secession, the Civil War, and the Reconstruction all occurred outside the guidelines of the Constitution, since it did not address how to deal with these issues. Although constitutional and social developments produced revolutionary changes, heavy southern resistance to both stunted the impact of these developments, causing America to undergo only a partial revolution.

Despite not amounting to a successful revolution, constitutional developments themselves were very revolutionary. South Carolina's secession was the first time a state had left the country. They believed that the federal government was restraining their reserved state powers that the Constitution delegated to them (Document A). Other states joined in secession, and Civil War erupted to preserve the Union. The Civil War saw a huge expansion of political powers. Lincoln's National Banking Act nationalized the country through sounder currency and created a more powerful central government, denouncing state governments who sought control (Document B). Also, Lincoln's Thirteenth Amendment, the real vehicle for emancipation, revolutionized America as it forever abolished slavery. This destroyed the entire Southern fundamental way of life, having as much as impact on whites as on blacks. After the Union victory in the Civil War, political reconstruction occurred in the South to deal with the integration of the freed slaves. With the Freedmen's Bureau, it was the first time Congress took responsibility of the people's welfare by providing all the basic needs. Their attempt to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1866 signified their first time ensuring black equality and federalizing the protection of black rights. The act was not only revolutionary in itself, but it proved that America was going through a civil and political revolution during the Reconstruction era (Document F). This act was vetoed by Johnson but was reassured with the Fourteenth Amendment. Inclusive of the Civil Rights Act, the amendment also provided a

tempting incentive of more representation for the South if they were to grant black suffrage, another revolutionary change. Although the Fourteenth Amendment was also defeated, the overwhelming Republican victory in the congressional elections of 1866 reaffirmed the people's support of these constitutional advancements. Therefore, Congress passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867 which forced the Southern states to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment and grant black suffrage. For the first time, blacks had the right to vote, much to the whites' contempt (Document G). To ensure that blacks had the right to vote despite their race, Congress passed the Fifteenth Amendment which forbade states to deny the right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Despite these constitutional developments, Southern resistance to these acts subsequently drained their revolutionary effectiveness.

Although groundbreaking constitutional progression occurred, southern retaliation to it caused its significance to wane. Led by Chief Justice Roger Taney, the Supreme Court's decisions in Bradwell v. Illinois, U.S. v. Cruikshank, and the Slaughter-House cases all undermined the Fourteenth Amendment. In Bradwell v. Illinois, the court denied Bradwell's right to practice law and concluded that women did not have implied privileges since they were not