Was the Reconstruction a success or a failure?

I would
probably be inclined to viewas having a very mixed and complicated legacy. At best, I might call
it a very partial success, but its failures are too severe to ignore.

In
some ways, Reconstruction was an extremely ambitious and difficult project to implement
(especially from the perspective of the Radical Republicans). Transforming a slave-based economy
and society into one that was post-slavery was always going to face resistance from white
Southerners, and while it certainly failed to live up to its full promise, the transformation
remained profound nevertheless. With the 13th Amendment, slavery was outlawed across the
country, and with the 14th Amendment, citizenship rights were expanded. The 15th Amendment
expanded voting rights. Mr. Kirschner is correct when he says that ultimately, with the ending
of...