After four long years, the Civil War finally came to an end. But there was still a lot of work to be done. Most of the South had been destroyed and would need to be rebuilt. Almost four million people who had lived in bondage were now free and would need help in starting new lives. Just as important, the people who had found themselves on opposite sides in the conflict would need to make peace with one another. Reconstruction was an attempt to rebuild the United States, and it would not be easy. Learn about the triumphs—and tragedies—that marked the era.