During the time period between 1865 and 1914, America went through a revolution. In recent years there have been three distinct but important eras; Reconstruction, Gilded Age, and Progressive Era. The entire country has changed, economically, politically and socially in these three time periods. After the Civil War ended, Southern whites were bitter and resentful. They did their best to try to keep blacks as close to slavery as possible. Although Congress established the Freedman's Bureau and passed the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, Southerners found ways to prevent blacks from achieving social and economic equality. Black people could only find work doing the most menial jobs and were often denied work because of the color of their skin. Because of the “separate but equal” decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, all institutions, public and private, in the South remained segregated on the basis of race. In the North there was no political will to impose social and economic equality. At that time, the Ku Klux Klan emerged, a terrorist group that terrorized blacks seeking to better themselves. Reconstruction failed because white Southerners did not want blacks to have social and economic opportunities. They resisted strongly because they were very against the idea of ​​blacks having equality. Another reason Reconstruction failed was because Northerners did not care enough about black equality and did not try hard enough to break this conflict. After the Civil War and Reconstruction, the federal government was looking for a way to bring that drive back into the people and that's when we entered the "Gilded Age." Industrialization was a key factor in the changes that came with this era. The growth of… middle of the paper… most of these goals were achieved by pushing America to have more control over corporations, social justice, and consumer product regulations. This era is completely different than the post-Civil War era and has created a better America. One of the main reasons this period of reform could occur is because America had politically progressive thinkers during this period. Theodore Roosevelt dedicated much of his presidency to growing and improving America as a democratic nation with a fair amount of justice and freedom. The progressive movement sought to end the influence of large corporations, provide greater rights and benefits to workers, and end the control held by party leaders. This era was a period in American history when improving working conditions, exposing corruption, improving lifestyles, expanding democracy, and implementing reforms were the goals at hand.