What was the main consequence of the Reconstruction Era?

The main consequence of the Reconstruction Era was its attempt to rebuild the South and integrate freed slaves into society, despite facing significant resistance. After the Civil War, the federal government implemented measures to reintegrate the Southern states into the Union and to ensure the rights of the newly freed African Americans. This era saw significant legislative efforts such as the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the 14th and 15th Amendments, which aimed to provide citizenship and voting rights to African Americans.

However, this integration faced substantial opposition from various groups, including former Confederates and white supremacists, who resisted changes to the social and political order. The backlash included the rise of groups like the Ku Klux Klan, which sought to undermine the rights of African Americans and restore white supremacy. The challenges during this period ultimately set the stage for the systemic racial discrimination that would follow in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Although the immediate abolition of slavery was a result of the Civil War and the passing of the 13th Amendment, that event predates the Reconstruction Era itself. Similarly, while Jim Crow laws were consequences of the failure of Reconstruction to protect the rights of freed slaves, they were not a direct consequence of the Reconstruction