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Black Codes
In 1866, the Southern states passed laws called black codes which were designed to conrol newly freed African Americans.Some made it illegal for them to purchase land or farms. But congress also tried to protect the African Americans by giving the Freedmen's bureau new powers. They could now set up special courts that could charge people who violated African Americans' rights. -
Civil Rights Act of 1866
The Civil Rights Act gave federal government power to in state affairs to protect African Americans' rights. The act made African Americans citizens of the United States. This countered the decision made in 1857 that African Americans were not citizens. President Johnson vetoed both bills and claimed that the federal government was exceeding its authority. -
Reconstruction Act 1
By 1867,10 former Confederate states had not yet radified the Fourteenth Amendment.Since they refused to radify the amendment,Congress passed the first Reconstruction Act.It required that those states formed new governments.Only Tennessee(who had radified the amendment),kept its government and rejoined the Union.The 10 defiant states became military districts.Each were governed by an army general until new governments were formed. Each state also had to submit an new constitution to Congress. -
Reconstruction Act 2
The second Reconstruction Act established and clarified that military commanders were in charge to register voters and hold elections. It required that every voter recite the oath and show their support to the constitution. It also stripped Southern office holders of their place in office. The federal government could not provide economic assistance, or bureaucratic agencies for freedmen. This underminded the aim of equalty for freemen. -
Fourteenth Amendment
Congress worried that courts would overturn the Civil Rights Act so it proposed another amendment. If the Thirteenth Amendment ended slavery, they were taking the next step by stating that all people born or naturalized in the United States were citizens of the United States. Also, citizenship could not be taken away by passing another law. Southern states then had to radify the law as another step to rejoining the Union. -
Fifteenth Amendment
The Republicans wanted to take the next step in the constitution and give African American males the right to vote. People in the South believed that the Republicans were "trying to kill the South." They also belived that since African Americans were a great portion of the South, they would be able to over run the Southern way of life. In the new amendment, it states that all citizens of the US will be allowed to vote. It also says that Congress can enforce this law under legislation.
