Reconstruction Era Facts & Worksheets

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Reconstruction Era in the United States began at the end of the Civil War in 1863 and ended during the last term of President Ulysses Grant in 1877. This era has three goals, to bring back the Southern States into the Union, to restructure the society of the Southern States, and to free the African American from slavery. Establishing equality was also attempted through the constitutional amendments, but was partly unsuccessful due to the resistance of the Southern States. However, it laid down the groundwork for civil rights activists in the 1960s.

See the fact file below for more information on the Reconstruction Era or alternatively, you can download our 26-page Reconstruction Era worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

THE BEGINNING OF THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA

• The Civil War in the U.S. was the fight between the Union, or the Northern States of America, and the Confederates, the Southern States.
• The Southern States secede from the Union because they wanted to create their laws. They also wanted the Northern States to adhere to the Fugitive Slavery Act and the Dredd-Scott decision.
• The Southern States relied on their slaves for their agricultural industry.
• Southern States lost the Civil War and Reconstruction Era began with President Lincoln penning the Ten Percent Plan. It states that when ten percent of the population of the Southern States sign an oath of loyalty to the Union and adhere to the President’s Emancipation Proclamation, they will be allowed to be part of the Union.
• The Reconstruction Era later became a fight for freedom, for civil and political rights for the African Americans in the United States.

AMENDMENTS IN THE CONSTITUTION

• The 13th Amendment
  • This amendment was created to give freedom to people of African descent who live in the U.S. It was passed on January 31, 1865 and ratified on December 6, 1865, mostly by Northern States.
  • The first attempt to free the slaves happened before the 13th Amendment when President Lincoln created the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 where he ordered the Southern States to free their slaves.
  • However, the President was not sure if he had the constitutional authority to make this kind of proclamation. He proposed to Congress to make these constitutional amendments.
  • The Congress created the 13th amendment based on a section in the U.S. Declaration of Independence in 1776 where it says that “all men are created equal.”
  • The Southern States refused to follow this amendment. They created Black Codes to ensure white supremacy.
  • The Black Codes denied African Americans equal civil rights e.g., to make and enforce contracts or to sue and be sued.
• The 14th Amendment
  • Passed on June 13, 1866 and ratified on July 19, 1868.
  • Historians consider it one of the most important amendments as it ensures equality and due process of law to all citizens of America.
  • The XVIII Amendment Section 1 states that “All persons born and naturalized in the United States, and subject to jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States and of the State where they reside.”
  • The same amendment authored by Congressman John A. Bingham of Ohio also ensures that “No States shall make or enforce any law that will abridge the privileges or immunities of the citizens of the United States.” It used the term “No State” to rectify the First Amendment, which states the word “Congress.“
  • It also attempted to overturn the Dred-Scott decision by the Supreme Court in 1857, where African Americans are not entitled to freedom and could never be an American citizen.
  • This Amendment was not completely realized until the 1960s when civil rights activists use the three amendments to fight for equal rights.
• The 15th Amendment
  • This amendment aimed to give all American citizens, including the freed African Americans, the right to vote. It was passed on February 26, 1869 and ratified on February 3, 1870.
  • This amendment is crucial because in the 14th Amendment, African Americans were only given civil rights. This time they were also given political rights.
  • Most Southern States were not in favor of this amendment. They recognized this amendment, but they created policies that prevent African Americans from voting.
  • They tried to outmaneuver this amendment by creating policies like not allowing the people to vote if they are not registered before the Civil War or passing poll taxes.
  • The Supreme Court validated these policies. The African Americans were kept from their political rights until the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1866

• Authored by U.S. Senator Lyman Trumbull.
• Aimed to establish the citizenship of African Americans in the U.S. This act was enacted in April as the first U.S. federal law in 1866.
• President Andrew Johnson vetoed this act questioning the Congress’ legal authority to pass this act.
• After creating the 14th Amendment, which gave them legal rights, this act was ratified in 1870.
• A terrorist group undermines this act; thus, this act failed to protect the civil rights of the African Americans.
• One problem that occurred was the lack of federal penalties to whoever violated this law. They were not given access to legal help thus the violations like discrimination were not given proper retaliation.

THE KKK: KU KLUX KLAN

• A hate group of white supremacists with the main goal of stopping federal government efforts to ensure equality to the million of freed African Americans in the South.
• They terrorize newly freed slaves, especially those who dare to run for a political office and even the white sympathizers who support them.
• There are reports of beatings, arsons, lynching and rape.
• It’s founder was a former slave trader and Confederate army general, Nathan Bedford Forrest. He was also the first grand wizard of the clan.
• It was first organized as a social club of the Confederate veterans in Tennessee on December 24, 1865.
• The Klan wore pointed white hood robes that made superstitious black people afraid of them. It also hid their identities from the federal troops.
• Forest ordered its disbandment due to the increasing number and heinousness of the crimes it committed.
• Some Klan remained active in some parts of the South. It made the Congress passed a “Force Act” in 1870 and the Ku Klux Clan Act in 1871 that suspended the writ of Habeas Corpus, and inflicted heavy penalties and forcefully stopped the violence they were creating.
• The Supreme Court declared the Ku Klux Klan unconstitutional in 1882, but the KKK was already gone at that time.

THE END OF THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA

• The Compromise of 1877 ended the Reconstruction Era.
• President Andrew Johnson laid out the plan that reflected his support in Unionism and his belief that every state shall have the right to govern themselves.
• The egalitarian mission was abandoned by the Republican government in exchange for letting the Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes win the election.
• This compromise also removed the republican troops enforcing the Reconstruction law. They began creating laws that would remove any
  civil and political rights of the freed African Americans.

Reconstruction Era Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Reconstruction Era across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Reconstruction Era worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Reconstruction Era in the United States which began at the end of the Civil War in 1863 and ended during the last term of President Ulysses Grant in 1877. This era has three goals, to bring back the Southern States into the Union, to restructure the society of the Southern States, and to free the African American from slavery. Establishing equality was also attempted through the constitutional amendments, but was partly unsuccessful due to the resistance of the Southern States. However, it laid down the groundwork for civil rights activists in the 1960s.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

• U.S. Civil War: Reconstruction Era Facts
• The Great Man’s Move
• The Era of Division
• Dates to Remember
• The Movers of the Era
• Complete Me!
• New Era, More Words
• Three Goals
• Two Types of Americans
• Constitutional Amendments
• The Compromise of 1877

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Link will appear as Reconstruction Era Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, March 1, 2020