Reconstruction era

1865-04-09 - 1877-01-20

The Reconstruction era was the period of U.S. history following the Civil War (1861-1865), dominated by the abolition of slavery and the reintegration of the former Confederate states. Three constitutional amendments granted citizenship and equal civil rights to formerly enslaved people, though Southern states imposed poll taxes and literacy tests to restrict Black voting. The era ended with the withdrawal of federal troops from the South in 1877 and the return of white Democratic rule there.