Reconstruction proved to be a mixed bag for Southerners. On the positive side, African Americans experienced rights and freedoms they had never possessed before. They could vote, own property, receive an education, legally marry and sign contracts, file lawsuits, and even hold political office. Among the other achievements of Reconstruction were the South's first state-funded public school systems, more equitable taxation legislation, laws against racial discrimination in public transport and accommodations and ambitious economic development programs (including aid to railroads and other enterprises).
