Pros And Cons Of Reconstruction After Civil War

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The South after the Civil War suffered the most. Since the war had been fought almost entirely on Southern soil, the North did not have to face the task of rebuilding. The South sustained immense damage, entire cities laid in ruins, and thousands of people lacked the ability to provide food and shelter for themselves. The Reconstruction was necessary because it helped the South become part of the union again. The Reconstruction proved to have many successes. Through President Lincoln’s efforts the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were all ratified. The nearly 200 years of racism in the South had almost been completely eradicated, and many African Americans participated in organizations and jobs in the South. The confederacy had been destroyed for good and every state that had seceded was readmitted to the Union. The war made for a disaster, but in the end made the U.S. one nation together. …show more content…

Despite many achievements, the Reconstruction faced many challenges because of white resistance. Many Southern whites were uncooperative with new legislation passed by blacks and Yankees. With the resistance came vigilante groups like the Ku Klux Klan. The KKK formed to maintain white supremacy and to intimidate black voters and whites that supported them. The vigilante groups tried to follow old ways as much as possible, so much so that they hired blacks to work the agricultural fields whites owned. Once former confederates had their right to vote brought back, they tried hard to win public office and if they did they would try and undo most of the social and economic reforms. Their efforts were in attempt to undo Reconstruction and restore the “Old South”. Some efforts under the Democratic Leadership were successful, and government spending was cut and many Reconstruction programs were hurt or