The twelve-year era after the Civil War was called the Reconstruction Period. Reconstruction was a federal policy established immediately after the South surrendered; it was an attempt to create a new Southern society and heal the terrible wounds between the North and South. The three main goals of the Reconstruction were to "protect the rights of the freed slaves..., rebuild the South's devastated economy, and enforce the loyalty of the ex-confederates (Scholastic 14). In spite of tremendous efforts, the Reconstruction Period failed to completely accomplish any of the three goals, but it was especially lacking in its attempts to make Blacks and whites equal and was a time of intense discrimination toward the Blacks.

In 1865, at the end of the Civil War, the South was destroyed. Plantations were demolished, the economy was ruined, the labor system was shattered, and several million slaves were now free laborers. South Carolina looked like a "broad black streak of ruin and desolation" (Unger 414). In the Shenandoah Valley hardly any farm animals were left alive. Many cities had almost nothing left of their business districts (Unger 414). People in both the North and South

In 1869, the KKK along with other groups such as the Knights of the White Camelia and the Pale Faces terrorized and attacked Blacks and Black sympathizers. Because the acts of the KKK were so violent, President Grant sent in extra troops to the South to keep peace and to insure that the Blacks and their white supporters were allowed to register and vote (Mckissack 75). Unfortunately, the violence continued. Between 1882 and 1936, 4,672 lynchings occurred in the United States and three-fourths of them were Blacks (Garraty 282).

These amendments supporting Blacks' rights served to increase negative responses by old- thinking Southerners. Poor white farmers especially resented the Blacks and felt every advancement for Blacks weakened their own difficult economic and social circumstances (Garraty 282). The violence towards Blacks that had been sporadic, now began to be organized. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was one such organization. The Ku Klux Klan began in Pulaski, Tennessee in 1866. Six veterans of the Confederate Army claimed they were "bored" so they formed a club, calling it the KKK. These men also maintained that it was an organization to protect all of the South from "niggers and nigger lovers" (Mckissack 325). But it soon came to be headed by men who had the goal of wanting to drive Blacks out of politics and voting.

By 1876, the Reconstruction effort was falling apart. The South actively resented the efforts from the Northerners and were angry at the Northerners who they felt "dominated their local government and businesses, and the presence of federal troops was a constant reminder that they were a conquered people" (Reconstruction 14). This anger from the South easily combined with a declining commitment from the North. Reconstruction was an expensive policy and was growing more and more unpopular. Republicans leaders became reluctant to enforce its policies. Also, the Northerners had little true love for Blacks and their interest in racial equality seemed to diminish once the North felt fairly sure that Blacks would not be returned to slavery if the North pulled back (Garraty 283).

Garraty, John A. A Short History of the American Nation. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1985.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2626
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)