I think you are pinning too much of your argument on one guy. Reconstruction would have to end at some point just as a practical matter, regardless of who was president at the time.
I mentioned many. But ok great. Then show me who. Stop dancing around and show me who. We've repeatedly been here and every time its this re-assertion and re-assertion and re-assertion of the unsubstantiated "fact" that somehow all of the ills of modern big government go to the Civil War and not a person on the planet can actually give details.
Meanwhile all the actual evidence ends at 1900. You give zero reasons to ignore the actual evidence, nor present new evidence.
"Reconstruction would have to end at some point just as a practical matter"
No.
Wrong.
Absurdly wrong.
Ridiculously wrong.
If they were progressives, if they were progressives, reconstruction would have lasted forever. Progressivism does not end. Ideologically progressives cannot let any of it end.
Ever since the progressive era, not one single administrative state agency has been outright abolished. Not one. Progressives have a pristine and untouched 100% record spanning 125 years. Sure we can get some experts fired (DOGE) but the agency itself remains minimally staffed to be puffed back up later. It will live another day. Progressives still at 100%.