Answer:
Post-Civil War Reconstruction failed to achieve racial equality for African Americans in the South.
This was due to factors such as:
- Resistance from former plantation owners: Many white people, especially former slave owners, disagreed with the enfranchisement of African Americans. They used violence and intimidation to suppress voting rights and limit their economic opportunities.
- Limited federal commitment: The federal government gradually withdrew troops from the South, weakening enforcement of Reconstruction policies.
- Northern political divisions: Northerners disagreed about the pace and scope of Reconstruction. Some prioritized economic recovery over racial equality, while others lost interest in the South's problems.
As Reconstruction ended, Jim Crow laws and segregation became widespread in the South, denying African Americans equal rights for over a century after the Civil War.
