American History

Introduction
Reconstruction period was marked with ups and downs in terms of the implementation of new policies, programs and adoption of new ways of life in America. This was between the year 1865 and 1876. The eleven year period was full of great challenges. It appeared as a season of light to many but majority viewed it as a season of despair. The reconstruction of Mississippi began immediately after the civil war that was marked by ignorance among the blacks and the whites living in America.

Prejudice and the policy against it
There was a serious case of prejudice between the whites and the blacks. The whites in Mississippi were not having any respect for the lives of the blacks and shooting them was not a sin but a normal act. In 1865, the black code was enacted to help reduce discrimination in Mississippi which was on the rise and one of the biggest challenges was to define the legal status of the former slaves. According to Kolchin (2003), the black code played a negative role of denying the blacks the civil right to participate or to vote in an election and further revealed the economic struggle between the former masters and the slaves and the ex-masters were for the view that the blacks should continue working for them while the blacks wanted to be independent.

Presidential reconstruction policy (1865-1867)
The civil war ended in April 1865. A year later, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. His policies on war had to be embraced by the successor Andrew Johnson, who issued a guideline on how the former confederate states had to be re-admitted into a union base. This was a sure way of improving Lincolns policies on war. He also gave an amnesty to individuals who were willing to take an oath for loyalty. However in 1860, there was a condition for the civil servants to apply for pardon especially people who had held position in the military offices and owned property worth 20,000 or more.

Radical reconstruction
Between the period of 1867 and 1876, there were radical movements and statements on the oppressive Black Code policy. The black people felt it was offensive to them and modification had to be made to accommodate them fully. According to Foner (1988), the blacks felt that they were not represented in the congress and that their problems could not be presented by the whites. They therefore had to come up with a policy or a guideline to ensure that they were represented in the congress and that their issues could be settled in a more convenient way.

During this period, the blacks were politically active and the period was marked by marvelous achievements for the blacks. At least 226 black Mississippians held public office during Reconstruction, compared to only 46 blacks in Arkansas and 20 in Tennessee. Mississippi sent the first two (and only) black senators of that period to Congress, something that was unheard of in the past. Former slave owner James Lusk Alcorn showed that there was no major difference between the blacks and the whites and that the progress by the blacks was welcomed by the majority.

Conclusion
It is worth noting that the reconstruction period varied from one state to another. States like Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia experienced reconstruction for a short time as compared to states like Mississippi. Reconstruction period was marked with several challenges especially to the blacks who were living within the whites were discriminated and denied the opportunity to participate in a political race. Mississippi was the state that was marked with several challenges from prejudice to hatred and as a result the Black Code had to be implemented to fight the vice.