Clipping from the Reader's Digest discussing the period of Reconstruction after the American Civil War and its impact on race relations. The author describes the discrimination against black citizens by state governments that prompted Reconstruction. The author takes the position that Reconstruction was an unnecessary and harmful process that empowered black citizens at the cost of disempowering white citizens. The author develops this idea through a combination of historical facts and anecdotal evidence, interpolating real-life events with racial stereotypes.