Successes And Failures Of The Reconstruction Era

The Reconstruction era was a turbulent, chaotic and at times confusing period. There were failures, but there were also successes. There was monumental Constitutional changes implemented, even though there were some steps back, such as when President Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Act in 1866 and the Freedmen’s Bureau Bill. A strong, united Congress repassed the Civil Rights Act and the Freedmen’s Bureau Bill after the veto, which primarily put Reconstruction back in the hands of Congress instead of the President. In 1867, for the first time blacks voted. New state constitutions also came about to allow for the right of all men to vote regardless of color. Public education systems developed for all people and by 1868, at least seven