Assess the success or failure of Reconstruction

Name
Instructor
Task
Date
Abstract
QUESTION: What were the successes or failures of the Reconstruction?
THESIS: The Reconstruction period was synonymous with the social, political, and economic rehabilitation of America as well as the harsh reality of racism and disintegration caused by the Civil War.
OUTLINE: The success of the Reconstruction period led to the formation of the United States of America. The period also defined citizenship and made sure that all Americans were protected under the 14th Amendment, with the 15th Amendment extending suffrage to all men. The Civil Rights Act and Freedman’s Bureau were aimed at getting African Americans to participate equally in building the economy, society, and government. On the other hand, failure of the Reconstruction included noncommittal of Southern whites to the new legislation that either Yankees or blacks had passed. A systematic process to undo the strides made on economic and social reforms.
WORKS CONSULTED:
Beale, Howard K. “ South Carolina during Reconstruction. By Francis Butler Simkins and Robert Hilliard Woody. ” The American Historical Review 38.2 (1933): 345-47. Print.
Jenkins, John, A. “After Slavery: The Negro in South Carolina During Reconstruction, 1861–1877.” Indiana Magazine of History 62.1 (1966): 86-87. Print.
Nolen, Claude H. African American Southerners in Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction. Jefferson: McFarland, 2001. Print.
Sobotka, Lauren H. “Assessing Reconstruction: Did the South Undergo Revolutionary Change?” (2015).

Student Publications. Paper 316. Print.
Summers, Mark W. The Ordeal of the Reunion: A New History of Reconstruction. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2014. Print.

Assess the Success or Failure of Reconstruction
America has seen both good and bad days in her clamor for political certainty that has been defined by revolutionary movements. A case in point was the era of the Reconstruction that went a long way to establishing America, as we know it today. Reconstruction refers to the integration of men who were freed, back into the American society and restoration of the states that were seceded during and after the Civil War. The Reconstruction period involved many Presidents such as Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and Ulysses Grant, who had different plans and objectives for the future of America (Summers 7). The Reconstruction commenced in 1865 following the Civil War that left America disintegrated. The fact that America was disintegrated after the Civil War was crucial for the Reconstruction period because it helped unite the nation. The Reconstruction period was synonymous with the social, political, and economic rehabilitation of America. Even so, it was not an easy task as the memory of the deaths left by the war, and racism was a harsh reality to conceptualize for the majority of Americans. As such, there is a need to critically analyze the success or failure of the Reconstruction.
The success of the Reconstruction period can be reflected in many aspects. For instance, the Reconstruction, under President Lincoln, established America as a nation. The Confederacy, which reigned supreme before cessation of the disintegrated states, was destroyed and all the states were readmitted to the Union. America was a collection of independent states before the Reconstruction, but after the war, it became what is today referred to the United States of America (USA). During the Reconstruction, the Federal government put the 13th Amendment in utilization that went a long way towards outlawing slavery (Summers 87). The period also defined citizenship and made sure that all Americans were protected under the 14th Amendment, with the 15th Amendment extending suffrage to all men. Another Federal legislation such as the Civil Rights Act and Freedman’s Bureau was aimed at getting African Americans to participate equally in building the economy, society, and government (Nolen 212). This led to electing black men to different government levels, including senators and governors.
Other successes of the Reconstruction included the drafting and ratifying of new constitutions and the Reconstruction Amendments by the Southern states (Sobotka 2). Unlike before, many African Americans participated in the newly formed local and state governments that were founded on equal rights for all. Constructions of schools, housing, hospitals, railroads, and roads took center stage. As with any developments and success, such as those brought by the Reconstruction, there were many failures associated with this period. Part of the challenges of the Reconstruction was attributed to the resistance from whites. The early years of the Reconstruction, especially in the new government, saw many competent leaders employed, but extremely inexperienced. Southern whites were not committed to the new legislation that either Yankees or blacks had passed. Outlawed gangs such as the Ku Klux Klan were keen on maintaining white supremacy and terrorizing black voters (Sobotka 1). The intimidation was worse to the extent that even a few whites who supported black became victims of the vigilante group.
Industrialization was evident in the Reconstruction period, although the white supremacists maintained an agricultural economy that allowed them to use sharecropping where blacks continued to work on the farms that were owned by whites (Beale 46). Further, the majority of the Confederates who had the right to vote won public office and commenced a systematic process to undo the strides made on economic and social reforms. The Confederates were white Southern Democrats who wanted to restore the Old South and disentangle the Reconstruction. They went as far as passing restrictions on voting and Black Codes meant to deny and suppress the opportunities and rights of African Americans at the local and state levels (Jenkins 87). Laws such as those espoused by Jim Crow legalized segregation (Nolen 163). The strange aspect is that the Supreme Court reinforced these actions by upholding that both the 14th and 15th Amendments were solely applied at the federal level.
The House of Representatives ignored the earned rights that the Radical Republicans had worked for. Even worse, the Democratic leadership cut government spending that affected many Reconstruction programs. Admittedly, the Reconstruction period was an important era in the history of America and the formation of what is today referred to as the United States of America. The fact that America was disintegrated after the Civil War was crucial for the Reconstruction period because it helped put back the pieces through social, economic, and political reforms. As much as the Reconstruction period was synonymous with social, political, and economic rehabilitation, it also had considerable failures such as racism and oppression of blacks. Some of the significant successes in the Reconstruction period were drafting the new constitution and implementing the 14th Amendment. On the other hand, some of the failures included intimidation by outlawed groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and white supremacists to maintain the status quo.