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Emancipation Proclamation
Frees slaves in states in rebellion and authorizes the enlistment of black troops -
Lincoln Reelection
On this day in 1864, Northern voters overwhelmingly endorse the leadership and policies of President Abraham Lincoln when they elect him to a second term. With his re-election, any hope for a negotiated settlement with the Confederacy vanished -
Freedmen's Bureau
Provides assistance to emancipated African Americans. Abolished in 1872. -
13th Amendment
Abolishes slavery in the United States. -
Black Codes
Southern states enact laws restricting rights of African Americans. -
Ku Klux Klan
A secret organization to intimidate African Americans and restore white rule is founded in Pulaski, Tennessee. -
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Reconstruction Acts
Reconstruction acts ended because all former Confederate States were re-admitted into the Union. -
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President Johnson's Impeachment Trial
By one vote, the U.S. Senate fails to remove the president from office. -
Fourteenth Amendment
Guarantees due process and equal protection under the law to African Americans. -
First black senator elected
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Forty-second Congress
Five black members in the House of Representatives -
Civil Rights Act of 1875 enacted by Congress
Guarantees equal rights to African Americans in public accomodations and jury service. Ruled unconstitutional in 1883. -
Wade Hampton inaugurated as governor of South Carolina
The election of Hampton, a leader in the Confederacy, confirms fears that the South is not committed to Reconstruction.
