Expound Upon the Economic and Social Changes

Expound upon the economic and social changes blacks in the South experienced during the Reconstruction era. Include within your discussion the topics of education, farming, family life, and the church.

In the South there was a conflict that was occurring between the federal government and many of the states. This is because white Southerners wanted to impose restrictions that were similar to slavery. Over the course of time, this resulted in a series of laws that were designed to restrict opportunities and access to resources. (Faragher, 2009)

In the field of education, this was taking place with many African-Americans not being able to attend school. This is from various Southern communities and states passing ordinances that did not allows them to go. However, a large number were eager to learn and they set up their own schools. These institutions sprang up across the country in order to provide access to various services. This is significant in showing how this segment of the population was able to utilize a resource that was denied to them. It is at this point that these facilities would bring about long-term economic and social changes. (Faragher, 2009)

As far as farming is concerned, African-Americans were no longer bound to work for their former slave masters. This is because they were engaged in activities that economically benefited them in contrast to slavery. Yet, in reality, these changes were very small often resulting in these people having to become share croppers. This is when they performed different services for planters in exchange for a fee. Moreover, the large plantations were divided into small farms that gave each person their own land.

The problem is that these contracts benefited whites by requiring African-Americans to spend more of their resources in meeting stringent obligations. At the same time, the compensation was so little that it did not help to improve the standard of living. This is illustrating how economic changes occurred in the basic structure of the Southern economy by abandoning the plantation system. Yet, this demographic was unable to improve their way of life from those social and economic practices that were designed to limit opportunities. (Faragher, 2009)

The family was an important part of life for many African-Americans. This is because everyone was allowed to stay together and engage in activities that mutually benefited each other by combining resources. From an economic standpoint, this helped to ensure that families were assisting one another through this approach. Socially, this allowed the African-American community to become more united. The way that this occurred was to help everyone understand how slavery destroyed their families and way of life. These dramatic changes created stronger bonds in contrast with other segments of the population. In many ways, one could argue that this helped to create a society with: a sense of purpose, a desire for greater self-determination and unity. This is the basic foundation that united African-Americans in the future. (Faragher, 2009)