Reconstruction was the period following the Civil War focused on rebuilding the South and integrating the newly freed African Americans into society.

The era saw significant political conflict over the terms for readmitting the former Confederate states to the Union.

Three 'Reconstruction Amendments' were passed: the 13th abolished slavery, the 14th granted citizenship and equal protection, and the 15th granted voting rights to African American men.

The Freedmen's Bureau was a federal agency established to provide aid, education, and legal assistance to formerly enslaved people.

During Radical Reconstruction, federal troops occupied the South to protect the rights of African Americans.

This period saw significant political gains for African Americans, including the election of Black men to local, state, and federal office.

White supremacist groups, most notably the Ku Klux Klan, used violence and intimidation to terrorize African Americans and suppress their rights.

Southern states passed discriminatory laws known as 'Black Codes' to control the labor and behavior of freedpeople.

Reconstruction officially ended with the Compromise of 1877, a political deal that led to the withdrawal of the last federal troops from the South.

The end of Reconstruction ushered in the 'Jim Crow' era of segregation and disenfranchisement for African Americans.