When the Civil War ended, a period known as Reconstruction began, which lasted from 1865 to 1877. The main goals of Reconstruction included reunifying the Southern states into the union, rebuilding the economy in decline of the South and promotion of the rights freed slaves now possessed. Despite the intentions of the reconstruction, however, it was generally considered a failure. Reconstruction was an overall failure resulting from Andrew Johnson's presidency, the Black Codes, sharecropping, and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. This period of reconstruction following the Civil War remained a time of great tension, pain, and endless questions. One of the main reasons why Reconstruction was a failure is because of Andrew Johnson's presidency. After Abraham Lincoln's death, his vice president, Andrew Johnson assumed the presidency. Although his plan for Reconstruction was similar to Lincoln's, he simply made the Reconstruction process worse altogether. He was very racist and openly spoke negatively about African Americans. He also belonged to the Southern Democratic political party, which was the opposing political party of Congress. Johnson undermined all efforts by Congress to benefit freed African Americans by vetoing laws. One of the major bills that Johnson vetoed was known as the Freedmen's Bureau. This office was intended to provide basic necessities such as food, clothing, and education to African Americans and white Southerners. The Freedmen's Bureau Schools also taught them a variety of skills, including how to get a job. However, he vetoed the Bureau without any consideration for African Americans. Johnson did not support the reconciliation of freed African Americans and white Southern men. Instead he supported discrimination against freed slaves and a government that ... middle of paper ......Rican Americans struggled in new communities and the KKK created even more hardship for them. Klansmen dressed in white burn down black schools, homes, and churches. State governments in the South remained helpless in silently supporting these violent acts. The Klan used terrorist tactics such as beating and sometimes killing to threaten African Americans and other people who supported them; The organization's main goal was to reestablish white control. Racial violence by Klan members continued to rise throughout the South despite efforts at reform by the Union. In conclusion, the reconstruction plans were an overall failure caused by Andrew Johnson's presidency, the Black Codes, sharecropping, and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. . Despite reconstruction intentions, there was much resistance to the reconstruction plan and reform efforts.