I often fantasize about how different America would be if post-Civil War reconstruction were handled properly and the south was truly punished for attempting to secede.
What would a five point program of reconstruction being handled properly have looked like that wouldn't have descended into total madness?
Remember, we've already got a million Americans dead, another two million wounded, large tracts of ruins from scorched earth tactics, multiple states under military rule for close to a decade, the first President ever assassinated, the first President ever impeached, etc..
Also remember, the victorious states were not uniformly in favor of the war, nor ending slavery, let alone pursuing equal or voting rights for freedman.