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April 9: The Confederate army surrenders, marking the official end of the Civil War.
December 6: The 13th Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, abolishing slavery in the United States. -
March 2, 1866: The Civil Rights Act of 1866 is passed, granting citizenship to all persons born in the United States, including former slaves.
June 13, 1866: The first Freedmen's Bureau school opens in Savannah, Georgia, providing education to former slaves.
1868: The 14th Amendment is ratified, granting equal protection under the law to all citizens.
1870: The 15th Amendment is ratified, prohibiting the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. -
The Reconstruction Era begins, with African Americans holding political office and attempting to establish equal rights.
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However, the period is also marked by violence and discrimination against African Americans, leading to the rollback of Reconstruction gains.
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The Jim Crow laws, which segregate African Americans in all aspects of public life, begin to be implemented in the South.
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The Supreme Court rules in the Plessy v. Ferguson case that "separate but equal" facilities for African Americans are constitutional, effectively upholding racial segregation.
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African Americans face widespread discrimination and segregation in employment, housing, education, and public facilities.
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The Harlem Renaissance emerges as a cultural and artistic movement, highlighting the talents of African American artists and intellectuals.
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The Great Migration brings millions of African Americans from the rural South to urban centers in the North and West.
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The Supreme Court rules in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional, beginning the slow dismantling of Jim Crow laws.