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The Freedmen’s Bureau was established to help formerly enslaved people transition to freedom by providing food, schools, and medical aid. It also assisted poor Southern whites but faced constant opposition from Southern leaders.

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President Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre just days after the Civil War ended. His death left the nation’s Reconstruction in the hands of Andrew Johnson, who was far less supportive of freedpeople’s rights.

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Andrew Johnson becomes president (April 1865)

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Andrew Johnson becomes president (April 1865)

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Johnson, a Southern Democrat who stayed loyal to the Union, became president after Lincoln’s assassination. His lenient Reconstruction policies angered Congress and allowed former Confederates to regain power.

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Andrew Johnson becomes president (April 1865)

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Southern states created Black Codes to restrict the rights of newly freed African Americans. These laws limited movement, labor options, and civil rights, making freedom feel much like slavery.

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The 13th Amendment abolished slavery throughout the United States. However, it allowed forced labor as punishment for crimes, laying groundwork for mass incarceration.

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Ku Klux Klan formed (late 1865 / early 1866)

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Ku Klux Klan formed (late 1865 / early 1866)

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The KKK began as a secret group in Tennessee to terrorize Black communities and their allies. They used violence, threats, and murder to weaken Reconstruction efforts and suppress voting rights.

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This was the first U.S. federal law defining citizenship and affirming equal protection under the law. It directly challenged Black Codes and was passed over President Johnson’s veto.

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Violence erupted between white mobs, including police, and Black residents of Memphis. Dozens of African Americans were killed, and Black schools and churches were burned.

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Congress passed these acts to divide the South into military districts to enforce Reconstruction. They required Southern states to write new constitutions and guarantee voting rights for Black men.

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The 14th Amendment guaranteed citizenship to all people born in the U.S. and equal protection under the law. It was a major milestone in defining civil rights for African Americans.

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For the first time, African American men participated in drafting new state constitutions. These conventions expanded rights, reformed schools, and aimed to make Southern governments more democratic.

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The 15th Amendment gave African American men the right to vote. Despite this, states soon found ways—like poll taxes and literacy tests—to limit their participation.

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Mississippi Plan / “Shotgun Policy” (1875)

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Mississippi Plan / “Shotgun Policy” (1875)

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This was a campaign of violence and intimidation by white Democrats in Mississippi to suppress Black voters. It marked a turning point as Reconstruction governments began to collapse.

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This deal settled the disputed 1876 presidential election in favor of Rutherford B. Hayes. In exchange, federal troops were withdrawn from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction and leaving African Americans unprotected.