After the [[Civil War]], a period of rebuilding the South and attempting to end [[slavery]] began -- coming to be known as [[Reconstruction]]. Many heroes and villains emerged, and much was left undone. In many ways, Reconstruction was not truly completed until about 100 years later, when the last remaining public schools were finally desegregated in the 1970s after years of resistance. | Date | Event | Main People Involved | Short Description | |---------------------|------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | March 3, 1865 | Freedmen's Bureau Established | Abraham Lincoln, [[Congress]] | Created to aid freed slaves and poor whites in the South with food, housing, education, and legal support. | | April 14, 1865 | Assassination of President [[Abraham Lincoln]] | John Wilkes Booth | Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre, leading to the ascension of Vice President Andrew Johnson. | | May 29, 1865 | President Johnson's Amnesty Proclamation | Andrew Johnson | Issued to provide amnesty and pardon for most [[Confederates]], restoring their [[civil rights]] and property. | | November 1865 | [[Black Codes]] Enacted | Southern Legislatures | Laws designed to restrict the rights of freed slaves, ensuring a cheap labor force and [[white supremacy]]. | | December 18, 1865 | [[13th Amendment]] Ratified | U.S. [[Congress]] | Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States, except as punishment for a crime. | | April 9, 1866 | Civil Rights Act of 1866 | U.S. Congress | Granted citizenship and equal rights to all male persons in the United States, without distinction of race. | | June 13, 1866 | 14th Amendment Passed by Congress | U.S. Congress | Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including former slaves. | | March 2, 1867 | Reconstruction Acts | U.S. Congress | Divided the South into five military districts and set conditions for readmission of Confederate states. | | July 9, 1868 | 14th Amendment Ratified | U.S. Congress | Guaranteed equal protection under the law and due process for all citizens, regardless of race. | | July 28, 1868 | 15th Amendment Proposed by Congress | U.S. Congress | Prohibited denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. | | March 4, 1869 | Ulysses S. Grant Inaugurated as President | Ulysses S. Grant | Grant's presidency marked a shift in Reconstruction policy and the rise of Radical Republicans. | | February 3, 1870 | 15th Amendment Ratified | U.S. Congress | Ensured that the right to vote could not be denied based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. | | April 20, 1871 | Ku Klux Klan Act | U.S. Congress | Law designed to combat the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups using violence to suppress voting.| | May 22, 1872 | Amnesty Act | U.S. Congress | Restored civil rights and the right to vote to nearly all former Confederates, excluding high-ranking leaders.| | April 14, 1873 | Colfax Massacre | White League | Violent attack by white supremacists on African American Republicans, resulting in the death of over 60 people.| | January 17, 1874 | Enforcement Act Repeal | U.S. Congress | Weakened the Enforcement Acts, reducing federal intervention against white supremacist groups in the South. | | September 14, 1874 | Battle of Liberty Place | White League, Metropolitan Police | A failed insurrection by the White League against the Republican-led state government of Louisiana. | | January 31, 1875 | Civil Rights Act of 1875 | U.S. Congress | Banned racial [[discrimination]] in public accommodations and on public transportation; poorly enforced. | | March 1, 1875 | Whiskey Ring Scandal Exposed | Ulysses S. Grant, Orville E. Babcock | A massive tax evasion scheme involving whiskey distillers, revenue agents, and high-ranking government officials.| | November 7, 1876 | Disputed Presidential Election | Rutherford B. Hayes, Samuel J. Tilden | Controversial election ultimately resolved by the Compromise of 1877, ending Reconstruction. | | March 4, 1877 | Rutherford B. Hayes Inaugurated as President | Rutherford B. Hayes | The inauguration of Hayes marked the end of Reconstruction and the beginning of the "Redemption" era. |