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Period: to
1856-1876
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General Robert E. Lee surrenders
Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders in Grand Appomattox to Union General Ulysses S. Grant. This followed the fall of Petersburg on April 2nd, one of the last Confederate outpost defending the city of Richmond, the Confederate capital. The surrender of Lee was deemed an unconditional surrender and was seen as benevolent end to the war. (Guelzo, 18) -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
On April 14th 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot dead in a crowded theatre by a Southerner John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln died the following day. Lincoln's death was only short after the war had ended and left his Vice President Andrew Johnson as the new President. Johnson was unpopular due to him being a Southerner who was even more lenient towards the former rebels compared to Lincoln. Lincoln's death and Johnson's appointment marked a time of instability in the government (Guelzo, 15). -
13th Amendment Ratified
The 13th Amendment was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, but was ratified on December 6, 1865. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. With the adoption of the 13th Amendment, the United States found a final constitutional solution to the issue of slavery. The 13th Amendment, along with the 14th and 15th, is one of the trio of Civil War amendments that greatly expanded the civil rights of Americans. (National Archives) -
Founding of the Ku Klux Klan
In Tennessee, a group of Confederate veterans formed a secret society called the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan rapidly grew as a force bent on reversing the federal government’s progressive Reconstruction policies in the South, especially policies that expanded the rights of the local Black population. The Klan used scare tactics to stop Black men from using their newly established right to vote. (History.com) -
Early Black Codes
In late 1865, Mississippi and South Carolina enacted the first black codes. Mississippi’s law required Black people to have written evidence of employment, and if they left before the end of the contract, they would be forced to forfeit earlier wages and were subject to arrest. Black Codes were restrictive laws designed to limit the freedom of African Americans, defining the post Civil War era or restrictive freedom for newly freed African Americans. (Guelzo ,26) -
Reconstruction Acts
The Reconstruction Acts, or also called the Military Reconstruction Acts were a series of four laws passed by congress in 1867 to address the readmission of the former Confederate states to the Union. These divided the South in 5 districts, all states that wanted to be re-admitted to the union would have pass the 13th and 14th amendments, as well as the right for Black men to vote. 50% of the voting population having to vote yes to be re-admitted. (Guezlo, 55) -
15th Amendment Ratified
in 1870, the 15th Amendment was ratified. This amendment prohibits states from denying voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude, securing the right to vote for African American men. Despite the passing and ratification of the 15th amendment, it was bitterly opposed by Democrats and Southerners. Many White supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan used voter intimidation and would kill Black men going to vote. (Guelzo, 101) -
The Economic Panic of 1873
After the Civil War, one of the worst banking crisis happened in 1873. The panic started with a problem in Europe, when the stock market crashed, Europeans started selling their railroad bonds, there were soon more bonds for sale than anyone wanted, railroads began to go bankrupts. Jay Cooke Company, one of the biggest banks in the US went bankrupt. When people saw that such a big bank failed, they began to run to their banks, demanding all of their money back. (US Treasury). -
Democratic Control of the House
In 1874, Democrats gain control of the House of Representatives. The Democratic party, associated with White Southern interests, gained power in Congress, signaling a shift in Reconstruction politics. For the first time in twenty years, the Democratic party gained control of the house, going from a republican majority of 114, to a democratic majority of 61. (Guelzo, 99) -
1876 Election
The election of 1876 was a narrow Republican win, with Rutherford B. Hayes winning. The election was among the most contentious in American history, and was only resolved by the Compromise of 1877. The Compromise involved that in exchange for Hayes becoming president, federal troops would withdraw from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction. This is defined as the end of Reconstruction for many and singled a new era of US history on the horizon. (Guelzo, 114)