Reconstruction in the context of American history refers to the time period after the Civil War, specifically from 1865 to 1877, in which the United States began to rebuild from the pandemonium and chaotic aftermath of the Civil War. There has been a lot of debates over the accomplishments and failures of Reconstruction throughout the history. Was Reconstruction a success? By what aspects can Reconstruction be defined as a success? Indeed, not all aspects of Reconstruction were successful, but the primary goal of Reconstruction was accomplished, which makes it an overall successful period of time in the history of United States. The criteria by which we measure "success" are vital, different people hold different opinions against the Reconstruction, and that is why the debates are still going on these days. However, nothing comes as important as the country itself. By the Presidential Reconstruction, the United States remained as a country, not just a collection of Northern states and Southern states. It also ended slavery officially and granted citizenships for former slaves, and more importantly, education was provided to everyone including the former slaves in the South.
The separation lasted for four years, and during that time, the Unite States was just a combination of Northern states and Southern states, it could not be considered as a nation. The first and most important goal of Reconstruction was to hold the nation together, and it did success. President Lincoln's plan also known as the 10% plan advocated that with a few exceptions, when the number of people who took an oath of allegiance equaled 10% of the number of voters who participated in the election of 1860, the state would be readmitted to the Union after organizing a new state government which abolished slavery. President Lincoln offered a very lenient plan for the Southerners, and his purpose was just to hold the United States together as a whole.