By the end of 1865, all of Atlanta's original railroad lines were running again. Why would their restoration have been an important part of the rebuilding process?

With the end of the war, the problem of Reconstructionâ€"both the restoration of the states and the integration of the freedmenâ€"became more acute. If the seceded states were to be restored without any conditions, local whites would soon reestablish rule by the Democratic Party.