How did white people in the South view reconstruction?

The vast majority of white people in the South viewed Reconstruction with hostility and resentment. They saw it as a period of humiliation and oppression, during which they were forced to live under the rule of a federal government that they believed had no right to interfere in their affairs. They were also angered by the fact that Reconstruction gave Black people the right to vote and hold office, which they believed was a violation of the natural order.

As a result, white Southerners did everything they could to resist Reconstruction. They formed terrorist groups like the Ku Klux Klan to intimidate and terrorize Black people and Republicans. They also passed laws that made it difficult for Black people to exercise their rights, such as poll taxes and literacy tests. By the end of Reconstruction, white Southerners had largely succeeded in rolling back the gains that Black people had made during the war.

Some of the specific reasons why white Southerners opposed Reconstruction included:

* They believed that the abolition of slavery was a mistake. They argued that Black people were not fit for freedom and that they were better off as slaves.

* They resented the federal government's interference in their affairs. They believed that the Southern states should be able to govern themselves without outside interference.

* They were angry that Black people were given the right to vote and hold office. They argued that this violated the natural order and that it would lead to chaos and violence.

The hostility and resentment that white Southerners felt towards Reconstruction lasted for many years. It was a major factor in the development of the Jim Crow era, which was a period of segregation and discrimination against Black people that lasted from the end of Reconstruction until the 1960s.