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Civil War
The Civil War ended. -
Reconstruction
The process of readmitting the former Confederate states to the Union. 1865-1867 -
Freedmen's Bureau
An agency providing relief for freed-people and certain poor people in the South was established. -
Southern states
By the end of 1865, all of the southern states except Texas had created new governments. -
Thirteenth Amendment
President Lincoln urged it. This made slavery illegal throughout the United States. -
Assassination
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theater, and died early the next morning. -
Thirteenth Amendment
The amendment was ratified and took effect. -
Johnson's plan
Johnson had pardoned more than 7,000 people by 1866. -
Congress
Congress continued to debate the rules for restoring the Union. Meanwhile, new state legislatures approved by Johnson had already begun passing laws to deny African Americans' civil rights. -
Radicals
Urged by Radicals, Congress proposed a new bill that would give the Freedmen's Bureau more powers. It would also allow the Bureau to use military courts to try people accused of violating African Americans' rights. -
Civil Rights Act of 1866
This act provided African Americans the same legal rights as white Americans. -
Fourteenth Amendment
Fearing that the Civil Rights Act might be overturned, the Republicans proposed the 14th Amendment. The Amendment would define people born or naturalized in the US except Native Americans as citizens, guaranteed citizens equal protection of the laws, and gave Congress the power to pass any laws needed to enforce it. -
Opposing Fourteenth Amendment
President Johnson and most Democrats opposed the 14th Amendment. As a result, civil rights became a key issue in the 1866 congressional elections. -
Major Riots Part 2
A riot took place during a political demonstration in New Orleans. During the dispute, 34 African Americans and 3 white Republicans were killed. -
Republican Party
Gave the Republican Party a commanding two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate. This gave the Republicans the power to override any presidential veto. -
Reconstruction Acts
Congress passed the first of several Reconstruction Acts. These laws divided the South into five districts. -
Ku Klux Klan
A group of white southerners created this Klan. The secret society opposed civil rights, particularly suffrage, for African Americans. They also used terror against African Americans. -
Major Riots
A dispute in Memphis, Tennessee, took place between the local police and black Union soldiers. The dispute turned into a three-day wave of violence against African Americans. -
Grandfather Clause
African American voters had to take a literacy test in some states. This grandfather clause written into law affected men whose fathers or grandfathers could vote before 1867. In these cases, a voter did not have to pay a poll tax or pass a test. -
Election of 1868
Johnson did not run for another term. The Democrats chose Horatio Seymour, and the Republicans chose Ulysses S. Grant. Grant won the election. -
Fifteenth Amendment
Congress proposed the 15th Amendment, which gave African American men the right to vote. -
Grant President
After Grant became president, the Republicans seemed stronger than ever. They were unpopular with white southerners though. -
Fifteenth Amendment part 2
The Amendment went into effect in 1870 as one of the last Reconstruction laws passed at the federal level. -
Hiram Revels
He became the first African American in the U.S. senate. -
Period: to
Government Takes Action
Congress passed laws that made it a federal crime to interfere with elections or to deny citizens equal protection under the law. -
Period: to
Klans
Groups of whites continued to assault African Americans and Republicans. -
General Amnesty Act of 1872
This act allowed former Confederates, except those who had held high ranks, to serve in public office. -
Grant Re-elected
Grant was re-elected, but financial and political scandals in his administration upset voters. -
Panic of 1873
This was a financial crisis that triggered a depression. It started when Jay Cooke and Company which was a major investor in railroads, declared bankruptcy. -
Democrats
The Democrats gained control of the House of Representatives. -
Republican Party
The Party lost control of the House of Representatives. The Republicans in Congress managed to pass one last civil rights law. -
Civil Rights Act of 1875
This guaranteed African Americans equal rights in public places, such as theaters and public transportation. -
Unemployment
Because of the Panic of 1873, unemployment had risen to 14 percent. -
Election of 1876
Republicans chose Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrats chose Samuel J. Tilden. Tilden appeared to win, but Republicans challenged the electoral votes. -
Compromise of 1877
The Democrats agreed to accept Hayes's victory. In return, they wanted all remaining federal troops removed from the South. Shortly after Hayes took office, he removed the last of the federal troops from the South. -
Redeemer Governments
Segregation and Jim Crow laws became common in southern states in the 1880s. -
Jim Crow Laws
African Americans challenged the laws, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1875 was unconstitutional. -
Segregation Issue
The U.S. Supreme Court returned to the issue. Despite some people's views, segregation was becoming widespread across the country.
