The reasons why large-scale efforts to redistribute land in the South ultimately failed include:
- President Johnson supported the rights of white landowners.
- Many Republicans believed that openly confiscating land went too far.
These two factors significantly hindered progress toward land redistribution. President Andrew Johnson's policies largely favored the interests of former Confederates and white landowners, undermining efforts to provide land to freed Black individuals. Additionally, many Republicans were wary of the political ramifications and ethical implications of land confiscation, which prevented significant legislative action on the issue.
The other options (few freed Black people interested in owning land and New Black landowners leaving land fallow) were less significant factors in the failure of these land redistribution efforts.