Final answer:
The deep-seated fear that disrupted wartime ideals and reconstruction goals was related to entrenched racial prejudices and resistance to changing the social order after the Civil War. Economic anxieties, racial violence, and preservation of the old status quo played significant roles in undermining Reconstruction efforts.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ultimately, according to the authors of your text, wartime ideals and the goals of a real reconstruction were scuttled by a deep-seated fear in America. This fear, entrenched in society's mindset, thwarted the progressive changes that could have transformed the nation following the Civil War. The historical context provided suggests that this deep-seated fear was tied to entrenched racial prejudices and concerns about social and economic upheaval that would follow the emancipation and advancement of formerly enslaved individuals.
The post-Civil War era was marred by the struggle between the desire for a biracial democracy and the resistance to it due to profound racial prejudices. It was a tense period where the aspirations for a society free of slavery and where all individuals could exercise their rights as citizens clashed with the old order. Economic concerns, racial violence, and the unwillingness to alter the social status quo prevented the successful implementation of Reconstruction policies intended to rebuild the South and promote racial equality.