The Republicans Lose Power:

In the early 1870's, the Democratic party began to take control of parliament again. The whites, who prevented the blacks from voting, helped the Democrats win. This was in spite of attempts by President Ulysses Grant (former Union General) to hold a fair elections. After this election, many Northerners lost interest in the Reconstruction and the U.S. troops protecting blacks in the South eventually went back to Washington. All Southern states were under Democratic control by 1876. In the 1876 Presidential Election, a Democrat named Rutherford Hayes beat the Republican Samuel Tilden, and became President in 1877. This election ended the Reconstruction.

Effects Of The Reconstruction:

The Reconstruction helped the South rebuilt its shattered cities and towns, restored order in the South's governments and at last established efficient school systems. The Union helped the South find and mine its natural resources, as well as expanding its railway network. However, the Reconstruction failed to settle the differences between the black and white population of the South. Few blacks were granted land, and many went back to pick cotton on the fields owned by whites as they had done when they were slaves. Perhaps the most significant legacy was that the South suffered an everlasting scar from the Civil War, as it was, and still is somewhat, the poorest, most difficult section of the country.

The Reconstruction failed to bring racial calm to Southern society, as whites refused to share things with blacks. As a result, blacks built and set up their own communities , rather than trying to mingle with the whites. After the Reconstruction, blacks soon lost all rights that had been given to them. By the 1900's the Southern states only allowed blacks who could pass educational tests (called poll taxes) to vote. This eliminated many blacks from voting for their standard of education was still very poor due to lack of opportunity and qualified black teachers. The Southern states continued to violate black rights for years after the Reconstruction ended, thus sowing the seeds for the current racial tensions that plague parts of modern America.