Was Reconstruction A Success Or Failure Essay

When the confederates finally surrendered in Appomattox, ending the civil war, nobody knew what was to be done. The truth is, nobody wanted to participate in such a muddled situation. After decades of conflict and argument, the Union was finally assembled, but one situation remained the same – blacks continued serving white southerners on their plantations. Debates regarding Reconstruction have been going on for generations among many historians – was it a success or an epic failure? Perhaps it was both, yet leaning toward failure would be more legitimate. It is in my opinion that Reconstruction was more of a failure than success, but I will admit that some aspects of the Reconstruction were a success. Did the North really intend on bringing equality to the blacks during the Reconstruction period? Some historians like to debate that the North only had the intent to bring the Union back together, so it did not qualify for

Northerners had a moral hatred for slavery and hoped to abolish it completely in the South. By passing the 13th Amendment, Congress was finally able to end slavery, freeing slaves. For the first time, African Americans were able to leave their plantations. Some were anxious and couldn’t bring themselves to leave their plantations due to the fact that they didn’t know where to go. Others were jubilant, and took advantage of this opportunity – they traveled around the nation and some even re-united with their families. Meanwhile, Southern state conventions were being held to try and limit their freedom by adopting the “Black Codes.” This contract took away the right’s of African Americans, and put slavery under a new name. Giving the slaves freedom was just too over-whelming for the South – they had depended on slavery for decades; socially, politically, and most importantly, economically. Letting go of slavery could not have been such an easy process, especially for the