African Americans gained the civil and political rights they had sought for in the south due to the North’s victory of the Civil War. Former president, Abraham Lincoln aspired to unite the Nation as a whole by putting forth the plan of Reconstruction. Despite the many efforts that were put into the Reconstruction Era by the Republicans, the significant challenges both socially and politically caused the Republicans to allow the Southerners their superiority over blacks. The Reconstruction Era was a time of freedom for African Americans. They were able to live in the south as non-slaves, were given the right to vote, and had the opportunity to hold a position in office. When president Johnson took office, he ordered all land return to the
