Step-by-step explanation:
Reconstruction Period: Overview
The Reconstruction period in America began at the conclusion of the American Civil War in April of 1865. President Abraham Lincoln began contemplating the circumstances of Reconstruction prior to the ultimate Union victory against the Confederacy. The main purpose of the Reconstruction era was to ensure that the divided nation was able to be swiftly brought back together at the conclusion of the war effort. Due to the assassination of President Lincoln, the budding Reconstruction movement was ultimately taken on by his successor, President Andrew Johnson, who would spar with Radical Republicans in Congress over the direction of the period. The battles between the legislative and executive branches of government would serve as the first in a series of contentious conflicts regarding the aim and scope of the post-Civil War period in America.
When was the Reconstruction Era?
The Reconstruction era began when the American Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, after the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to then Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia. The Reconstruction era would last until March 31, 1877, following an earlier compromise between Democrats and Republicans in Washington. The Compromise of 1877 would serve as the vehicle for the end of the Reconstruction era in America as Democrats won control over the South.
Evaluating Reconstruction
As the Civil War was drawing to a close in 1865, President Lincoln began making plans for the physical, economic, social and political rehabilitation of a region marked by four years of war and 200 years of racism. Republicans in the federal government felt responsible for restoring public infrastructure, private property, food production, medical care and housing - all while the workforce and economy were in shambles. Furthermore, they wanted to change many characteristics of Southern society and politics.
Reconstruction-era Presidents Lincoln, Johnson, and Grant
Presidents Lincoln Johnson Grant
Even though most of the programs were aimed at helping the South, many white Southerners resented the suggestion that their world needed to be reconstructed at all and fought against any changes imposed on them by Republicans, Northerners or anyone in the federal government. This struggle to rebuild Southern government, society, infrastructure and economy was called Reconstruction, and it dominated political debate for 12 years under three different presidents. But, was it successful?