During the Reconstruction era, various policies and initiatives were implemented by the federal government to promote equality and protect the civil rights of African Americans. These included the abolition of slavery through the Thirteenth Amendment, the creation of the Freedmen's Bureau to assist freed slaves, and the passage of civil rights legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1866.
However, the process of Reconstruction was challenging, and it faced fierce resistance from many white southerners who opposed the social and political transformation of the South. The Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups emerged, using intimidation, violence, and terrorism to suppress African American voting, education, and economic opportunities.
Despite some initial progress, the federal government's commitment to Reconstruction gradually declined, and the efforts to protect African American rights lost momentum. By the late 1870s, the federal troops were withdrawn from the South, and many state governments in the region adopted policies that restricted the rights of African Americans, leading to the era of segregation and discrimination that lasted for almost a century.
Therefore, it is not accurate to say that the South won Reconstruction. The Reconstruction era was ultimately unsuccessful in achieving complete racial equality and social transformation, and it paved the way for further struggles for civil rights and social justice that continued throughout the 20th century.