Reconstruction and the Constitution , Week Six PART A help

Introduction:

In this chapter, “Reconstruction and the Constitution” you will discover that President Lincoln’s notions of Reconstruction varied a great deal from what actually occurred. Pay particular attention to the section addressing the failure of Congressional Reconstruction and the Supreme Court’s Reconstruction amendments. Also consider that the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments outlawed slavery, granted citizenship to African-Americans, and allowed black men the right to vote but racial segregation by way of white democrat men regaining power in southern state legislatures derailed the Constitution’s full potential.

Read:

Chapter ten, “Reconstruction and the Constitution.”

Discussion Assignment: (5 bonus points)

Separate but equal: “As long as facilities provided for each race were generally equal, segregation did not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.” What were the ramifications of this decision? Discuss in Week 6 discussion forum.

Written Assignment: (50 points)

With the failure of Reconstruction an assortment of repressive laws restricted advancements made by African-American citizens.Thirty-one years later, the Supreme Court was arguing over the legality of the 14th amendment to the Constitution. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) was a landmark decision. A search of the Interactive Constitution will make this case clear. Listen to my audio commentary for some background information on the participants in this case.

Then submit (as a Word attachment, double-spaced 10-12 font) a one to two page response to the following questions:

• What was Justice Harlan’s understanding of this ruling as he sat on the Supreme Court?

• Did he agree or disagree with the Court’s decision?

• What does “Separate but equal” mean to you? How did the Court interpret this?

• How did this decision affect the everyday lives of blacks and whites?