Final answer:
Reconstruction succeeded in legally ending slavery and granting temporary political rights to African Americans, but it failed to secure long-term social, political, and economic equality, leading to persistent poverty and racial discrimination in the South.
Step-by-step explanation:
To what extent were the goals of Reconstruction accomplished? Reconstruction, spanning from 1865 to 1877, had multifaceted goals: to reintegrate Confederate states into the Union, to redefine the rights of freedmen, and to rebuild the South's economy. While it did succeed in legally abolishing slavery and temporarily granting African Americans some political rights and citizenship through the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, many of its broader ambitions were left unfulfilled.
The Radical Republicans had a vision of Reconstruction that went beyond the end of slavery. They aimed to secure social, political, and economic equality for Black Americans. Although advancements were made, such as the emergence of Black political leadership and the establishment of institutions like schools for the formerly enslaved, the legacy of Reconstruction was marred by the continuation of discrimination and the eventual institution of Jim Crow laws. In the South, the failures of Reconstruction contributed to enduring poverty and an agrarian society characterized by sharecropping, which disempowered both Black and white farmers.
Ultimately the federal commitment to Reconstruction faded, exemplified by the Grant administration's struggle to formulate consistent policies. By the end of Reconstruction with the Compromise of 1877, political gains made by African Americans were largely rolled back as white Democratic leadership regained power in the Southern states, contributing to the systemic racial segregation that lasted well into the 20th century.