1865 - 1877 The Reconstruction (31 дек 1864 г. – 24 янв 1877 г.)

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The Reconstruction (1865-1877)
Context and reasons: The Reconstruction was a period of time between 1865 and 1877, immediately following the Civil War, which attempted to address the consequences of the Civil War:
The union of the Nation: The Reconstruction aimed to bring back the Confederate states that had seceded from the Union, with terms and conditions that prompted national unity.
The definition of rights for African Americans: The Reconstruction sought to establish rights for African Americans, in a period of time where racism, inequality and segregation were abundant.
The rebuilding of the South: The Reconstruction also sought to restore the South, which had been severely impacted by the Civil War; their economy and infrastructure was destroyed, and this initiative was trying to modify the Southern political and social systems.
13th Amendment: With this regulation passed in 1865, 4 million African Americans were freed from slavery, which was something highly celebrated by them and abolitionists.
Freedmen’s Bureau: This government institution was established in 1865, and aimed to provide aid, education, resources, food and shelter to poor whites from the South and ex-slaves.
Reconstruction Plans:
Presidential Reconstruction: The President at the time, Andrew Johnson, implemented some lenient policies and regulations trying not to disrupt too much with the social and political system of the South.
Congressional Reconstruction: However, Radical Congressmen wanted to establish rights for the African Americans and to somehow punish the Ex-Confederate leaders.
14th Amendment (1868): this regulation established that African Americans are U.S. citizens equal before the law.
15th Amendment (1870): this regulation established that African Americans had the right to vote.
Reaction of the South: Of course, the South didn’t react well to these newly obtained rights for the African Americans. A substantial group fervently opposed this and went as far as to create different racist organizations, including the Ku Klux Klan, in which they’d harass African Americans violently to establish white supremacy.
The end of The Reconstruction (1877): The end of The Reconstruction was a critical and devastating point in U.S. history, as it meant a retreat and a huge step back from the commitment to establish rights for African Americans, reunite the nation, and try to do something about the political and social system from the South. In 1877, in a dispute over Presidential Elections, a Compromise was reached. The Presidential Elections were really conflictive since the Candidates were a Republican (supporting The Reconstruction) and a Democrat (opposing The Reconstruction). It turns out that when it came to vote counting, it was impossible to determine who’d won since there votes had been significantly corrupted. To avoid a nation-wide conflict, both Candidates reached this Compromise which consisted on the following:
The Republican Candidate would be elected as President.
In return, Federal troops would leave the south and they would cease all efforts related to the enforcement of The Reconstruction.
The consequences of this were the following:
The South, having now more control on their governments, started to implement Jim Crow regulations, which enforced segregation in the South; in public institutions, Schools, work, etc, stripping African Americans off their civil rights, and segregating society for over a century.

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