Final answer:
White southerners reacted to Reconstruction with indignation, violence, and political campaigns to overturn its achievements, often impeding progress and reinforcing white supremacy.
Step-by-step explanation:
White southerners had complex and often hostile reactions to the policies and changes brought about by Reconstruction. They felt resentful and humiliated by the new social and political landscape, especially by the empowerment of former slaves and the perceived interference of northerners in southern society. To express their discontent, some white southerners referred to the era as a time of "negro misrule" and accused Black people and northerners of corruption and economic exploitation. These negative sentiments fueled campaigns to "redeem" state governments and ultimately contributed to widespread violence and the establishment of White supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan. White southerners worked to undermine Reconstruction efforts and restore the antebellum social order, systematically disenfranchising Black citizens through various means, including violence, trickery, and fraudulent voting practices. By 1877, the redeemer-led Democratic Party had succeeded in overturning many Reconstruction achievements, setting in motion a legacy of racial inequality and discrimination that would last for generations.