Reconstruction era

In this lesson, we'll explore reconstruction era. Understanding history and society helps us become informed citizens.

Slavery was the central cause of the American Civil War. By 1860, 4 million enslaved people lived in Southern states where cotton, tobacco, and sugar economies depended on enslaved labor. Sectional tensions over slavery's expansion into new territories drove the political crisis. Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860 prompted Southern secession; the Confederacy fired on Fort Sumter (April 1861), beginning the Civil War. The Emancipation Proclamation (1863) declared enslaved people in Confederate states free, reframing the war as a fight for human freedom. The 13th Amendment (1865) abolished slavery. After the war, Reconstruction (1865–1877) aimed to rebuild the South and integrate formerly enslaved people into society. The 14th Amendment (1868) granted birthright citizenship; the 15th Amendment (1870) protected Black men's voting rights. However, the end of Reconstruction brought Jim Crow laws, disenfranchisement, and systematic racial violence that would persist for nearly a century.

As you work through today's material, pay attention to the examples and try to identify the patterns or strategies being used. This will help you apply these concepts to new problems.

Take notes on key points and make connections to what you've already learned in previous lessons.