The Reconstruction Era in the USA,
Began with a wish to see fairer play,
That from 1863, after emancipation,
Lincoln and Johnson longed for transformation.
So they experimented by giving land to former slaves,
But in the Southern States that was bound to cause waves,
The Radicals, angry, tried to impeach,
But by one vote in the Senate, the law was put out of their reach.
Ulysses S Grant was not above using the military,
To support reconstruction and suppress insurgency,
He favoured a free labour economy,
With African-American equality.
Rutherford Hayes tried to protect Reconstruction legislation,
But Sourhern Democrats claimed widespread corruption throughout the nation.
Reconstruction was more a failure than a success,
But it had its achievements nevertheless.
It had many features of considerable note,
Like giving the black man the right to vote.