5. Reconstruction Was A Complete Failure In Its Effort To Bring Equality To The Black Man, From 1865-1877.

Reconstruction was not a complete failure but a "radical & noble attempt" to bring equality to the black man. It took three options to bring about a decent change for the former slaves .To help fix the problem in 1865 congress created the Freedmen's Bureau the first federal welfare system to provide food, clothing, confiscated land, and education. This idea was able to succeed in education; unfortunately it was ended in 1872.

Soon after Lincoln's assassination President Johnson was sworn into office. He was considered the "wrong man, in the wrong place, at the wrong time". He favored Lincoln's 10% plan and let Southern states back into the economy, granted a large number of pardons and was "soft on the southern policy". Black codes enforced labor contracts with blacks at low cost with no jury, no vote, and some not even leasing land.

Civil War amendments were a huge positive for blacks, laid foundation for the battle of equal rights in the 20th century which included the13th amendment of abolishing slavery in 1865, 14th amendment granting citizenship in 1868, and the 15th amendment letting black people have the right to vote in 1870.

With these new freedoms many blacks became congressmen including 2 senators. With these freedoms discrimination and hatred rose among white people. With this hatred came the KKK or Klu Klux Klan which was the "invisible empire of the South" formed in 1866 as a secret organization. Blacks were intimidated, beat & murdered forcing many blacks to avoid voting, congress tried to counter with force in 1870 but the damage was already done.