Reconstruction

- Reconstruction policies were primarily guided by President Abraham Lincoln and his
successor, Andrew Johnson.
- The Freedmen's Bureau established by Congress in 1865, the Freedmen's Bureau was a federal
agency tasked with assisting formerly enslaved people and poor whites in the South. Despite its
efforts, the Freedmen's Bureau faced significant challenges, including limited resources and
resistance from white Southerners.
- In late 1865, Mississippi and South Carolina enacted the first Black Codes to restrict the
freedom and economic opportunities of African Americans.
- Mississippi’s law requires Black people to have written evidence of employment for the coming
year each January; if they left before the end of the contract, they would be forced to forfeit
earlier wages and were subject to arrest.
- Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and later ratified the 14th Amendment to the
Constitution, which granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all people born
or naturalized in the United States.
- In 1867, Congress passed a series of Reconstruction Acts that divided the South into military
districts governed by Union generals.
- Some carpet-baggers became involved in Southern politics, running for elected office or serving
in appointed positions in state governments or the federal administration overseeing
Reconstruction.
- Reconstruction came to an end with the Compromise of 1877, a political deal that resolved the
disputed presidential election of 1876. Federal troops were withdrawn from the South,
effectively ending Reconstruction. Southern Democrats regained political control

The effects of the Civil War

- The Union victory in the Civil War in 1865 may have given some 4 million slaves their freedom
- There are many differences between Noth and South, for example:
o The Northern economy was also fueled by immigrant labor and a growing urban
population. However, the Southern economy was less diversified than the North's and
was largely rural in nature. Leading to the North became richer while the South became
poorer
o Northern society was characterized by greater social mobility and a more diverse
population while Southern society was more hierarchical and stratified, with a small
elite class of wealthy plantation owners dominating the political and economic
landscape.
- The Civil War helped to end slavery and establish equal rights for black people in America. The
subsequent passage of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1865 formally abolished
slavery throughout the country, marking the end of centuries of legal enslavement.
- The Civil War brought about profound social changes in American society. The abolition of
slavery transformed the status of African Americans, although they continued to face
discrimination and racial violence in the post-war period. Issues such as race relations, states'
 rights, and the role of the federal government remained contentious and unresolved,
contributing to ongoing social and political tensions.
- After the Civil War, many people believed that the United States is a country. The defeated
states were allowed back into the United States. This period focused on resolving the issues
that stemmed from the readmission of those into the Union and efforts were made to address
the political, social, and economic challenges that arose as a result of their reintegration.
- The process of rebuilding the South during the Reconstruction period (1865-1877) introduced
a new set of significant challenges.
- The Civil War resulted in unprecedented levels of death and destruction. Approximately
620,000 soldiers lost their lives, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in American history.
Countless civilians were also affected by the war's devastation, resulting in widespread grief,
trauma, and loss.
- Black codes also denied African Americans certain civil rights, such as the right to serve on
juries, the right to vote, and the right to own firearms. These laws were part of broader efforts
to disenfranchise African Americans and to limit their participation in the political and social
life of the South.