Final answer:
Reconstruction faced resistance due to differing views on the approach to reintegration, economic challenges in the post-Civil War South, and the emergence of white supremacist groups. Efforts by Radical Republicans to transform society for true equality were met with staunch opposition, leading to a turbulent and ultimately incomplete restoration process.
Step-by-step explanation:
Reconstruction efforts following the American Civil War were met with resistance for multiple reasons, resulting in various setbacks. The intent of Reconstruction was to reintegrate the former Confederate states and define the rights of freed individuals. However, disagreement on how to approach Reconstruction created friction and conflicts that stymied progress.
President Andrew Johnson favored a lenient approach that accelerated reintegration without adequate safeguards for the newly freed people, conflicting with Congress who pushed for more rights and protection for them. The Freedmen's Bureau was established to help freed individuals with education, land, and political participation, but it often encountered fierce opposition from white Southerners.
Radical Republicans in Congress wanted more than the end of slavery; they desired a thorough transformation of Southern society to ensure true equality. Despite their efforts, white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan emerged, terrorizing freed people and resisting the societal changes that would ensure their equality. The economic model of the South also transitioned reluctantly from a slave-driven agrarian society to one of sharecropping, which did not alleviate poverty but rather sustained it. This economic difficulty further diminished enthusiasm for progressive Reconstruction efforts.
Ultimately, the disparate views on citizenship, equality, and the best approach to Reconstruction led to a turbulent restoration process that ultimately failed to achieve its more ambitious goals for racial equality and economic reconstruction.