Conflict and struggle in the United States didn’t end when the Civil War ended. Remember, the Confederate states had tried to secede from the US. Losing the war meant that they now had to remain part of a country they had wanted to leave. How would the Union readmit those states and what should the terms for readmittance be? Indeed, what was the best way to reconstruct the South and the United States as a whole? These were the big questions of the era. The week that the Civil War ended, President Lincoln was assassinated. He was the first president killed while in office. This created even more pain and uncertainty for the nation recovering from war.
Which of these best describes the nation in general just after the Civil War?
A
violent and angry
B
grieving and uncertain
C
peaceful
D
confident