Was Reconstruction A Success Or Failure Essay

Reconstruction: Failure or Success? Reconstruction occurred immediately after the Civil War. It was enforced by the Union to help readmit southern states back into the Union, and to enforce equal rights for newly freed slaves. For freed slaves, Reconstruction was both a success and failure. However, for the southern economy, Reconstruction turned out to be an immense failure. A main goal of Reconstruction was to ensure newly freed slaves would be given opportunities they had gone without for over a century.
Over the years of Reconstruction, southern states would have to approve and acknowledge the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments. These amendments abolished slavery, required equal rights and protections for all American citizens, and gave the right to vote to all males regardless of race. Reconstruction was also a success for African American children who were now able to receive some sort of education. Another success was the formation of the Freedman's Bureau. This was a
One problem was that blacks in the South had different ideas of freedom than northern activists. Many southern blacks wanted to stay on the land their family had worked on for years. They also did not want to be workers who produced for the market, which northern capitalists pushed for. Differing views were not the only source of failure for freed slaves. Southern states attempt to limit reconstruction put many hardships on blacks. The Black Codes of 1865 passed by southern states to ensure white supremacy. It allowed for the separation of blacks and whites in public places. Although the Civil Rights Act of 1866 nullified the Black Codes, northern legislators did little to enforce their legislation. Reconstruction seemed to have motivated many white southerners to ensure their supremacy over blacks. This led to the rise of Jim Crow, and to extremists groups like the Klu Klux