Index IntroductionThe Downfalls of ReconstructionEconomic DifficultiesRights of the Black CommunityRacismConclusionWorks CitedVideo VersionIntroductionThe aftermath of the American Civil War was meant to be a time of hope and unity. Since both the North and the South had the opportunity to recover from the colossal losses caused by the war, there was enormous political pressure to begin reconstruction and unite the American states together. However, this was easier said than done. Was the reconstruction a success or a failure? This essay is a response to the controversy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayOn paper it would appear that the reconstruction was well underway. The 13th Amendment allowed for the abolition of slavery which had created a stir for equality among the states. The government's goal was to rebuild the South economically and socially. The 14th Amendment was adopted to guarantee the rights of newly freed slaves. And the Fifteenth Amendment was later passed to allow African American men the right to vote. However, the actual events of reconstruction tell a different story in terms of success. Economically, the South was left in ruins, with little to no industrial base to build on. Northern opportunists exploited the events to make money in the South, of which very little was reinvested in the land. The most glaring problem with Reconstruction was obviously the treatment of newly freed African Americans. Although the new amendments promised social change, they were inadequately implemented. The Black Codes meant that black rights were extremely limited to levels comparable to slavery. Violence also occurred due to social unrest in the South, with the emergence of groups such as the KKK. It was clear that many important social gaps were still present after the war. So why was Reconstruction a failure? The essay on this topic contains many arguments. The downfalls of reconstruction Economic difficulties The economic crisis in the South influenced the divisions between North and South which did not improve the situation. Soon after the end of the Civil War, many Northern entrepreneurial opportunists saw the potential for profit in the weakened economic state of the South. They hoped to work on behalf of the newly emancipated slaves and to initiate their own projects for the much-needed development of industry, at the order to exploit the South's misfortune. At first glance, this might be advantageous for the South, but very little of the money made was reinvested. Instead, most of the revenue returned to the North, or via the businesses themselves. This was economically disastrous. The Civil War had cost the South an estimated $2.98 billion that would never return in terms of industrial investment. Soon the Northern opportunists were suffocated by the economic crisis of 1873 and left to bring their investments to the West. The White South was left penniless, with very few opportunities for economic growth. The government's lack of attention to improving the South's economy has resulted in a huge contraction in reconstruction capacity. It created economic hardship for those in the South who were already tired after a long war. Black Community Rights Another extremely important aspect of Reconstruction after the Civil War was the poor implementation of the Black Rights Amendments. These were established in the Southern states between 1865 and 1866 to define the new rights and responsibilities of blacks. With them came new opportunities forAfrican Americans, such as the ability to testify in court. However, the Black Codes had numerous limitations and were far from progressive. In essence, the Black Codes allowed the essence of slavery to continue and functioned as an excellent legal suppressor of Black people's new freedom. With huge labor shortages on the plantations, there was an economic appeal to revive employment expressed in the form of the Black Codes. Blacks now had to sign labor contracts with their former owners to obtain guaranteed employment. If these contracts were in any way broken, the plantation owner had the legal right to whip and beat the black worker as punishment. At the time there was a huge lack of fair jobs for blacks compared to whites. Black people were still under great supervision both physically and metaphorically. The Black Codes still implemented the huge inequalities without any legal reaction and represented a huge failure in the reconstruction effort. An important creation during the early Reconstruction era was the Freedmen's Bureau. It was founded in 1865 and started by Abraham Lincoln, with the goal of enforcing the new freedoms promised to blacks and helping freed slaves in poverty. FBI agents aimed to establish schools to improve black education, help the young and old, and resolve disputes between whites and blacks. This was another example of a successful reconstruction on paper. The Bureau's goals were respectful of black freedoms and seemed very progressive for the time. However, its achievements were limited to areas such as healthcare and education. Additionally, Lincoln's assassination saw Southerner Andrew Johnson assume the presidency. He was much less interested in participating in the reconstruction, and his attempts led to a series of downfalls for the Bureau. In the summer of 1865, Johnson ordered that nearly all land be returned to its previous owner and not be shared with free blacks in the South. This decision was met with much protest from the black community who felt cheated by the decision. This had a huge impact on the freed people. Without land, they would have remained poor for most of the Reconstruction period and forced once again to work under white labor. It was a colossal reaction from the government that left a sense of betrayal. Racism A huge downfall evident in the Reconstruction period was seen in the social disorder that followed the Civil War. Violence against newly freed African Americans in the South was not uncommon. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was infamous for its militant protest against black rights. Founded between 1865 and 1866 by 6 former members of the Confederate Army, the original clan terrorized key areas of black society. They had a sense of frontier justice, taking matters into their own hands without worrying about existing laws or authorities. Murder was a focal point in their acts of violence. In the first years of their creation, almost a thousand racially motivated murders were committed. This commonly occurred in the form of lynching. There was a message sent under this form of murder that made it clear to Black citizens that they could not thrive as a people within Southern society. This type of violence continued during the Reconstruction period. The government made very little effort to intervene against these acts of terror which were destined to continue. Ultimately Congress was unable to provide any legal assistance for the situation. This may have been due to the fear of provoking further unrest between the North and the South. The government intervention may have sparked further conflict and turmoil which would have.