The period in United States history called reconstruction fallowed shortly after the American Civil War. Reconstruction was an attempt to bring the seceded southern states back into the union after the abolition of slavery. It was widely debated as to how reconstruction should be implemented. There were four major plans; Andrew Jackson’s plan, Military reconstruction, Abraham Lincoln’s Plan, and the Wade-Davis Bill. Each plan had its own benefits and its own deficiencies. The actual reconstruction path that was chosen to be implemented had a combination of aspects from each of these plans. Nevertheless, reconstruction was an immense failure.
The north had won the war, but had not destroyed the racial tensions in the south. Southerners had a deep resentment for northerners and it didn’t help that reconstruction was forced upon them. Lincoln and Jackson both wanted to readmit the southern states as fast as possible. In doing so, they ignored the cultural reconstruction that was necessary for equality and equal protection under law. The millions of blacks whom had just been freed from slavery didn’t have a social place in southern society. They were mistreated and segregated from the rest of the south and reconstruction did little to nothing to address this issue.
Economically, the divide between the north and the south was so great that it was extremely hard for southern cities and infrastructure to be rebuilt. The south and the north looked completely different after the war. The main economic powerhouse of the south had been stripped from them, so creating the revenue necessary to rebuild railroads and towns that had been destroyed by Sherman’s march as well as other battles needed lots of time to be done. This observed state of the south continued even after reconstruction showing how the reconstruction did very little to help the south rebuild and kept the economy in the south in stark contrast with the northern industries. This marked a change in history for African Americans in the south. The need for agricultural workers caused many former slaves to work as sharecroppers. This was a step up from slavery, but still had its downsides.
Furthermore, the failure of the north to implement any changes to the southern governments caused an immediate backlash from the south after reconstruction ended. The South was able to retake control of their government and implement southern democratic policies. Southern States jumped on the opportunity to legislate segregation and pass Jim Crow laws that kept blacks separate from whites in public spaces. The Ku Klux Klan rose from the remnants of the southern society and began terrorizing the black population with very little repercussions from the southern governments. It also allowed for carpetbaggers from the north to attempt to gain political power in the vacant southern governments.
Reconstruction was too immediate and didn’t rebuild the southern economy or its culture enough to be considered a success. The cruel treatment of blacks and lack of rights and the disregard of constitutional rights was evident after reconstruction, pointing toward the failure that it was. The amendments to the constitution that were made changed the rules of the south on the surface, however, the way that the south operated remained almost the same with the exception of no longer having slaves. For these reasons, the southern reconstruction was a failure.