rty of the “negro and corrupt white man,” who hated the South. Eventually, former Confederate states were limited to only the one-party system. Also, although the U.S. Congress tried to give more political and voting freedom to blacks in the 15th Amendment, Democratic leaders limited their access by reducing the number of eligible black voters. Literacy and educational tests, poll taxes and other property requirements, and the “grandfather” clause were all devices to reduce the number of Blacks who met voting qualifications. The last device, the “grandfather” clause, barred the Blacks and still made it possible for undereducated “poor whites” to vote. The brief period of political progress for black voters in the South under the direction of the Radical Republicans, power probably increased tension between whites and the freed blacks. Interracial conflicts definitely halted the social progress of the newly freed Black population. Also, the freedman found it difficult to secure and hold a job. Many actually found that their labor was exploited almost as severely as it had been during their time as slaves.Because of the Radical Republicans in Congress during the post-war decade who were so determined that Southerners should pay a heavy penalty for secession, reconstruction was largely unsuccessful. It is quite possible that President Lincoln’s more lenient reconstruction plan would have brought more economic, political, and social results for Southern society in the postwar years....
