I agree with Eric Foner, author of the yes article, that said Reconstruction was a "splendid failure." During this time, blacks were given their first opportunities in experiencing free life. during Reconstruction, education was huge for the newly freed blacks. with help from the Freedmen's Bureau, some 200,000 blacks were educated, ranging in age from children to grandparents. Not only were they given education opportunities, but also future voting opportunities and jobs opportunities.
Reconstruction not only aimed to help the newly emancipated blacks, but also the South in general. The South was given the opportunity for the North to help them get back on their feet, both economically and socially. Whether they used that help was up to them.
Although the whole Reconstruction idea didn't work out completely, it was a good first attempt to help change the South.
