The Reconstruction Era was a tumultuous period in United States history. The Union victory in the Civil War in 1865 granted freedom to African American slaves. During this time, it seemed that freed slaves would successfully assimilate socially and politically into American society. Congressional Reconstruction produced many remarkable results, but once Reconstruction failed, many educated former slaves proposed several ideas to help African Americans survive in a racially intolerant South. The best result of Congressional Reconstruction was the right to vote for every male citizen. Congress approved the 15th Amendment in February 1869, which stated that an American citizen possessed the right to vote and that this right could not be denied on the basis of race, color, or previous conditions of servitude. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay However, Reconstruction ended and radical groups emerged that posed threats to African Americans. Enlightened citizens of color such as Booker T. Washington suggested that African Americans must educate themselves to the best of their abilities in order to survive in a racist and intolerant South. The Reconstruction Era refers to the period in United States history following the Civil War. Although the Civil War had ended, the Reconstruction period was war-like because Northerners and Southerners had conflicting beliefs and lifestyles. Slavery was abolished at the end of the Civil War, and three major constitutional amendments were made during the Reconstruction period. The Reconstruction era was a time of many changes and enormous difficulties. The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery throughout the United States and its territories, the Fourteenth Amendment protected every male citizen regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude, and the Fifteenth Amendment granted African-American men the right to vote. Although massive legislative and policy changes were made, American society was slow to accept these changes. Many Southerners and racist Americans had difficulty accepting these new changes and thus it was difficult to enforce these new rules. The Reconstruction era marked the beginning of great changes, but also created new obstacles for freed slaves. The most important and lasting legacy of Congressional Reconstruction was the Fifteenth Amendment, which provided that every male citizen had the right to vote; regardless of race or previous condition of servitude. It initially seemed that freed slaves would be successfully integrated into American society. This was an important and lasting change because it allowed freed slaves to begin to assimilate into American society. Booker T. Washington said: "...it is the duty of the Negro - as the greater part of the race already does - to behave modestly in political demands, according to the slow but sure influences which emanate from the possession of property, intelligence and high reputation for the full recognition of one's political rights. I believe that granting full political rights will be a matter of natural, slow growth, not an overnight squash affair. the company would take a long time. He illustrated that this was a necessary step for freed slaves to learn to govern themselves., 1989.