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Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
While watching a play at Ford's Theater with his wife, Abraham Lincoln was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth. This is important to reconstruction because Lincoln started planning the reconstruction of the South during the Civil War, but was ultimately stopped due to his assassination. -
Johnson Becomes President
Once Abraham Lincoln gets assassinated, Andrew Johnson becomes the 17th president of the United States. This is important to reconstruction because Lincoln started reconstructing and now Johnson will have to continue it in his own way and style. -
Presidential Reconstruction
In May of 1865, Andrew Johnson reveals and announces his plan of beginning presidential reconstruction. This is important to reconstruction because Johnson will now begin his own ways of completing reconstruction of the United States. -
The Civil War Ends
The Civil War was a war between the United States and the Confederate States that lasted from April 12, 1861 to May 9, 1865. This is important to reconstruction because the Civil War is the reason that reconstruction began. -
Ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment is ratified and prohibits slavery and involuntary solitude. This is important to ratification because it is a significant and positive change to the United States. -
Ku Klux Klan Begins
The Ku Klux Klan was a terrorist group, composed of primarily former Confederate soldiers, formed to intimidate colored, ethnic, and religious minorities. This is important to reconstruction because with Johnson's reconstruction plans, and not Lincoln's, people do not understand the good and bad of morals. -
Civil Rights Bill Passes
Over Johnson's veto, Congress passed the Civil Rights Bill, a bill that concluded that every person born in the United States was a citizen. Race, color, or previous condition did not matter for the newly passes bill. The bill is important to reconstruction because people of any color are now treated somewhat equal within the United States. -
Tennessee Returns to Union
Tennessee was the first former Confederate state that was readmitted into the Union. This is important to reconstruction because the country is slowly forming back as a whole. -
Black Men Vote in D.C.
Congress overrides President Johnson's veto and allows black male citizens to vote in the District of Columbia. This is important to reconstruction because like the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment, the right for them to vote drastically changes the way the United States runs. -
Reconstruction Ends
On the last day of the year in 1879, reconstruction of the United States ends. This is important to reconstruction because it means that the United States has successfully done its job at forming the country back together.