What were 2 significant goals of the Reconstruction period? Explain why they were significant. In what way did the executive branch (under Lincoln and Johnson) and Congress differ in their visions of how the United States should be reconstructed after the Civil War? What are the “Reconstruction Amendments,” and why are they significant? What were the experiences of freedmen after the Civil War? What kinds of black codes were instituted after the Civil War and what was their purpose? What is sharecropping, and what kind of an impact did it have on freedmen? Was Reconstruction a success or failure? Give at least 3 examples to justify your answer.