Reconstruction Amendments Overview

Study Notes

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

The KKK grew in power by intimidating African Americans from voting and began to attack and use violence against blacks, northern whites, and southern white sympathizers.
The Federal Government passed the Enforcement Acts of 1872 to break up Klan activity, leading to a decrease in violence and the removal of Klan chapters in several states.
After Reconstruction ended, the KKK rose back to power without the protection of Northern troops.

End of Reconstruction (1877)

Racial equality was growing in the South, with over 2,000 black candidates elected to local, state, and federal offices.
Hiram Revels became the first African-American elected to the U.S. Senate.

Election of 1876 and the Compromise of 1877

Samuel Tilden (Democrat) won the popular vote, but several southern states had their electoral votes thrown out.
A Special Commission created by Republicans in the House led to the election of Rutherford B. Hayes as President.
Hayes promised to end Reconstruction and withdraw Federal troops from the South in the Compromise of 1877.

Reconstruction Amendments

13th Amendment (1865): Abolished slavery in the Constitution, overturned the 3/5 compromise, and fugitive slave laws.
14th Amendment (1868): Established citizenship for all people born or naturalized in the U.S., required states to protect the rights of all U.S. citizens, and guaranteed equal protection of the law and due process of the law.
15th Amendment (1869): Granted all men the right to vote, regardless of race or color, but did not extend this right to women.

Black Codes

To resist Northern influence in the South, states began to pass Black Codes, which denied blacks the right to testify against whites, serve on juries, vote, and express legal concerns publicly.
While Black Codes granted some rights, such as legalized marriage and ownership of property, they also forced many blacks and poor whites to work as sharecroppers or tenant farmers, similar to a form of slavery.
Black Codes led to the rise of the KKK.

Description

Learn about the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution passed during the Reconstruction era. Understand how these amendments abolished slavery, granted citizenship to former slaves, and ensured voting rights regardless of race or color.