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Period: to
Reconstruction
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Establishment of the Freedmen’s Bureau
Congress established the Freedman’s Bureau in 1865 to help former black slaves in the South. After the civil war, millions of freed slaves were left with ruins so the Freedman’s Bureau provided food, shelter, schools, medical aid, and legal advice for many former slaves. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
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13th Amendment
Established in 1865, this amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. -
Institution of the Black Codes
Black Codes were instituted as soon as slavery was banned. They were derived from the previous “slave codes” which were based on the concept that slaves were property and not people. These black codes included that race was defined by blood and any amount of African blood made you black. Public facilities were segregated as well and in many places, freedmen were not to be taught to read or write. -
Formation of the Ku Klux Klan
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Reconstruction Acts of 1867
These were a series of requirements necessary for the readmission of Southern states back into the Union. Some requirements included the creation of 5 military districts in the seceded states, which were to be lead by military officials, and the ratification of the 14th and 15th amendments. -
Johnson is nearly removed from office
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14th Amendment
Adopted in 1868, this amendment gave citizen rights and equal protection under the law to all U.S. citizens, which included African American citizens. -
Grant elected President
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15th Amendment
Adopted in 1870, this amendment prohibits federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on their race or color. -
Depression of 1873
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Bargain of 1877
In 1877, the Presidential election was taking place and the Democratic Southern candidate (Tilden) had the popular vote. The Republican North had troops stationed throughout the South to protect black citizens during this time, which southerners didn’t approve of. The Democratic South then made a compromise, which stated that if the troops were taken out of the south, the Republican candidate (Hayes) would be President. This compromise was carried out and is now known as the Bargain of 1877. -
Why did Reconstruction End?
Reconstruction gradually ended as time went on but the event that appeared to officially put an end to the reconstruction period was the Bargain of 1877. When the northern troops were pulled from the southern states, the Democratic ideals of southerners were allowed to be applied more freely. This meant no authority to enforce reconstructive elements, and therefore an end to reconstruction itself.
