Was Reconstruction A Failure Or Success

When America started off as a nation, many political changes has come to the country over the years. Presidents come and go throughout time and so do their plans and attempts at a better future. As history has gone by their plans have had success and have failed with the American public. The movement of reconstruction which had to put the pieces of America back together after the American civil war. The political movement ended in 1877 while modern historians are split among the views of whether it should be considered a failure or success.

After the civil war the southern economy was in shambles and its industry and infrastructure were in ruins. Ironically the south had to rely on the government they had tried to defeat. They had a nonexistent

government and now had millions of free slaves that have no idea what to do now that they are free. Lincoln had a plan on how to build the south back up but was sadly assassinated shortly after revealing his plan. Johnson followed through on Lincolns plan and readmitted 11 confederate states back into the union. They were allowed back on certain conditions of pledging allegiance to union and to ratify 13th amendment. All states agreed to Johnson's plan and reentered the union. Johnsons plan upset the Radical Republicans and former African slaves, but had the support of white southerns. so it had mixed views.

One of the earliest true successes of the Reconstruction was the Freedman's Bureau, which was put into place by congress to help freed slaves get new lives after serving their masters on plantations for such a long time.

The federal government offered anyone who needed food, medical attention and shelter to free slaves. The bureau also made sure the slaves got a good Education, the government opened over 4000 schools to help freed slaves and southerns who were poor . These health programs but most importantly the education system the bureau put in place, served as a foundation of future education and both are considered one of the most important successes of Reconstruction, because for most blacks and southerns it was the only education and teaching they will ever receive. The congress passed the 14th amendment that helped support new black rights. The amendment helped expand voting rights for blacks leading to greater overall political participation at the state and national

level.
The status of the African American people was one of the focal problem of the Reconstruction. Slavery had been abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment during Abraham Lincolns tenure of president, but the white people of the south still thought badly of blacks and thought that they still belonged as slaves and were not on same social classes as them. The South shows this with the black codes that most of the southern states governments passed to restrict blacks with their everyday life even though they were free. This started racism in the south and President Johnson made everybody upset with his action to veto civil rights bill. Considered a huge failure and almost got Johnson impeached from office.
Most free slaves got no land which meant slaves were forced to join the sharecropping system.

And were unable to own their own farms, which might have made them more independent, equal to other white farm owners and successful in selling and growing their own crops. The Black Codes and other laws restricting former slaves, though clearly unconstitutional, were not challenged in court or struck down by local military authorities. Instead Johnson vetoed a couple of laws that would of ensured free slaves of rights. but instead African Americans were left unprotected economically and socially. Left with no options they once again had to work for whites in bad conditions coming back into the slave life they thought they left. Eventually the effort of Reconstruction was abandoned by the government after only 12 years, leaving the economy of the South still in ruins and its population largely in

poverty.
Some positives can be made from reconstruction, including first time public schooling system was introduced to south under the Freedman's Bureau. The first African Americans were elected to local and national governmental positions which is still being continued today with president Obama elected to office. Reconstruction laid the foundation for the equal rights movement which took off in the 60s and continues today. With African Americans looking for equal rights during the time of reconstruction and into the modern time.
In eyes of most historians , the reconstruction period can be seen as both a success and a failure of poticial ideals. The government and congress made strides in equal rights and fair treatment of African Americans. They freed them from slavery, provided education for them, and allowed them to establish their own communities. But after reconstruction was abandoned most of the rights where forgotten and life for free blacks reverted to the pre free slave days. Looking back at that time period the only impactful accomplishment was the freedom of African Americans from slavery.