Reconstruction

What is reconstruction? Reconstruction is to rebuild something that was damaged or torn apart. The period following the Civil War from 1865 to 1877 is called Reconstruction.

What was Reconstruction like? Many policies during Reconstruction were harsh for the South.

Reconstruction attempted to give meaning to the freedom that former enslaved African Americans had achieved. One way this was accomplished was to give African Americans the right to vote.

The former Military leaders in the South were not allowed to hold public office. African Americans were not only given the right to vote, they were also allowed to be elected to public office.

Civil Rights Act of 1866 The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was a federal law that was intended to provide the freed slaves with the full range of civil rights, it was a major policy during Reconstruction. The Civil Rights Act also gave the Union Army the power to occupy the South and make sure that the new rules were followed.

Freedman’s Bureau The Freedman’s Bureau was created by Congress in 1866 to provide education and medical care to former slaves and to protect their legal rights.

Carpetbaggers Carpetbaggers were Northerners who came to the South during Reconstruction to take advantage of the people in the South. They were called Carpetbaggers because many of them carried bags made from old carpet. Southerners disliked & resented them.

The End of Reconstruction Reconstruction ended in 1877. The compromise of 1877 was made to settle the 1876 election, it ended Reconstruction. Under the compromise Southern Democrats agreed to acknowledge Rutherford B. Hayes as president. In return all Federal troops would be removed from the South. There would be at least one Southern Democrat in Hayes’ cabinet. Legislation to help industrialize the South.