Reconstruction Period Key Dates (1865-1875) Flashcards
Civil War
April 1861 - April 1865 - Confederates (Southern States) vs Union (Northern States)
Emancipation Proclamation
1st January 1863 - declaration by President Lincoln that slavery was abolished in the rebel states
Freedmen’s Bureau
3rd March 1865, provided aid to the both black and whites in the South. It provided food, shelter, and medical aid for those made destitute by the Civil War and newly freed African Americans.
Lincoln’s Assassination
14th April 1865, shot by John Wilkes. Died next day (15th April 1865)
13th Amendment
Passed January 31st and ratified December 6th 1865, abolishes slavery in all states - prerequisite to readmission of the Union
The Civil Rights Act (1866)
1866 - 2/3 Congress’ vote overrode President Johnsons veto - confirmed that ALL citizens had EQUAL rights + citizenship
Military Reconstruction Acts
1867-8
5 military districts formed in Confederate states excluding Tennessee
Each state was required to write a new constitution which had to be approved by Congress
Confederate states had to ratify the 14th Amendment
Ex-slaves had the right to vote, hold political offices and become judges and police chiefs.
14th Amendment
1868 - granted citizenship to all ‘born or naturalised’ in the USA.
Grant replaces Johnson as US President
1869
3rd Enforcement Act
1871, empowered the president to use the armed forces to combat those who conspired to deny equal protection of the laws and to suspend habeas corpus, if necessary, to enforce the act. Direct response to the KKK.
Civil Rights Act (1875)
1875 - Allows access to ammenities such as theatres, restrooms, transport etc.
When was the Reconstruction Period ?
1865-1877
When was the Gilded Age?
1870s-1890s
