Losing the Civil War meant that the South would have to conform to the laws of the United States. Reconstruction aimed to bring the southern states back into the Union, reestablish southern loyalty to the United States’ Constitution, integrate freed slaves into society, and repair the southern economy that no longer had the advantage of slave labor.

Lincoln realized that, with the war over, anything that prolonged the divide between North and South would be harmful to the nation overall. The war devastated the Southern economy and population, leaving a lot of hard feelings towards the victorious North. More punitive actions against the South, Lincoln felt, would only make it harder to heal the divided nation. Lincoln’s view, while prudent, was not extremely popular.

The Wade–Davis Bill was proposed by the Radical Republicans who sought to punish the South for their rebellion and to reinforce the expectation of loyalty and obedience to the federal government. Lincoln vetoed this bill, setting the stage for a compromise on the issue of Reconstruction.

The Freedman’s Bureau played a key role in helping African Americans gain access to basic needs, education, property, and health care during Reconstruction.

Booth assassinated President Lincoln on April 14, 1865 during the performance of a play in Washington, D.C.’s Ford’s Theater. Booth, a stage actor, had ties to the Confederate cause.

During Reconstruction, Johnson did not believe there was anything to be gained by promoting equal rights for African Americans. Instead, Johnson focused primarily on putting Union-loyal white leaders in place in Southern statehouses.

Congress passed the Thirteenth Amendment in January 1865, formally outlawing slavery in the United States.

The Black Codes included tactics like fines, arrests, and kidnapping to force African Americans back into bondage working on Southern farms without, technically, enslaving them.

The Civil Rights Act of 1866 defined citizenship and affirmed that all citizens are equally protected by the law. President Johnson vetoed the Act, but Congress overrode his veto to pass it.

By clarifying and expanding the definition of what constituted a United States citizen, the Fourteenth Amendment brought emancipated African Americans into American society and allowed them to take advantage of much-needed legal protections.