Notes

Why reconstruction went wrong:
Black people were stuck in the South (they couldn't physically leave they needed a pass)
Blacks could only be farmers or servants (the same jobs as in slavery)
People could still be forced into servitude
People could still be physically abused
Blacks could legally vote but it was almost impossible due to black codes and the criteria to be able to vote
Every black person had to work under a white person, and that white person could do whatever they want (beat them, instill a curfew)
The Failure of Reconstruction
Reconstruction was largely unsuccessful because although slaves were legally free, due to the systems put in place, slaves were in the same situations or even worse off than when they were in slavery. Slaves were stuck in the South, were only allowed to work as farmers and servants, and conservative whites made it so that it was almost impossible for blacks to have their natural rights. As Charles Soule, the Commissioner of Contracts for the Freedman’s Bureau said in a speech to a group of freed slaves, “You may have a harder time this year than you ever had before; it will be the price you pay for your freedom… If you get through this year alive and well, you should be thankful.”
One of the main issues with reconstruction was that blacks couldn’t leave the South. They were required to get a pass to go anywhere. This is explained in an excerpt of regulations passed by the Saint Landry Parish in Louisiana, “... no negro shall be allowed to pass within the limits of said parish without special permit in writing from his employer…”. In order to leave the state, blacks had to get a pass from a judge, which was a difficult task to do. In the South, there were far less opportunities, let alone for black people. The South was a hostile territory for ex-slaves; a place where confederates were still boiling with rage about the outcome of the war and didn’t want to let go of their slaves. The North was a place with lots of opportunity for new jobs, better schools, and a much more welcoming environment for blacks. But blacks couldn’t leave the South.
Another failure with reconstruction was that blacks were only permitted to be farmers or servants, and according to excerpts from regulations passed by the Saint Landry Parish in Louisiana, “...Every negro is required to be in the regular service of some white person, or former owner…” In order to have a different job, blacks had to take it up with a judge. Being a farmer or servant to a white person or “former owner” is essentially what blacks had to do in slavery. For the farmers, they didn’t get much pay, sometimes none at all. According to Charles Soule “... there is no good money in the District… Then, what can you be paid with? Why, with food, with clothes, and with the free uses of your little houses and lots.” This is just free labor. By being “paid” in food, money, and clothes, blacks would never be able to rise out of poverty. Another way this was similar to slavery was that white employers were allowed to physically abuse their employees, as long as they got a permit. White employers were also able to control all aspects of blacks lives, how they would be paid, where they could go and who they could see, and were legally allowed to give blacks a curfew.
Although blacks were given rights under reconstruction, conservative whites did everything in their power to take their rights away. These were called “black codes” and they made it almost impossible for blacks to get their rights. As said in excerpts from an amendment to the North Carolina Constitution, you had to be able to read or write to vote, but many ex-slaves could not read or write. The education given to them in the South was very minimal.
In conclusion, reconstruction was unsuccessful because it kept blacks in the same situation as when they were in slavery.