I'm not so sure Reconstruction "failed."  Or at least not completely.  The South was rebuilt structurally and politically, and to a lesser extent culturally.  Did the South acquiesce to the North's vision?  No.  Did Lincoln's dream be realized?  Again no.  What actually happened was the South resisted in other ways while it yielded at the same time.  In the end, the South was re-incorporated into the Union and allowed to rebuild in its own way.  Yes some instances of revenge were extolled upon the Southern people and her Confederate leadership, but by the end of Reconstruction, the South got its paybacks too.  To say that Reconstruction was a total failure may be a bit much.  Finally, and most importantly, Reconstruction didn't really "end" until the South desegregated.  Just something to chew on there.

Hi Donald,I suppose failure depends on the point of view, no? Let's say we're just talking about Reconstruction as it was after the Civil War and not the fight that lasted to the 1960's. The Radical Republicans wanted a south which essentially mirrored the image of the north, they wanted blacks to enjoy the same civil rights and opportunities as blacks. They thought Johnson and Lincoln's policies were too lenient. They sought to be harsh on the south and make them pay. Radicals made all these promises and had this vision of equality but that didn't happen. In fact, the Compromise of 1877 pretty much ended any progress for black civil rights. Once Republicans gave up on Reconstruction in exchange for Hayes as President, things seemed to turn around quickly for blacks. As if all progress made in those few years had been undone. So the question would be what good did come out of Reconstruction and was it a success at all?Also, which made Reconstruction tougher to implement? Idealistic visions or Realistic visions?