Reconstruction and its impact on America today are being closely examined, especially around issues of citizenship and rights. Reconstruction’s biggest achievement was the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, which for the first time clearly put into the Constitution the idea that "all men are created equal."

For many years, Reconstruction was interpreted mainly through the "Dunning School," which supported the Confederate “Lost Cause” narrative. This view tried to weaken these amendments and justified Jim Crow laws. In effect, Reconstruction became a time when the South lost the war but gained control afterward.