Essay On Reconstruction After Civil War

After the Civil War, the United States shifted into a period of Reconstruction. While the effects of Reconstruction were very obvious in the South, they also had a significant impact on states in the North.
Reconstruction

In the years following the Civil War, the United States entered a decade-long period called Reconstruction. As you can probably imagine, the United States was quite literally 'reconstructed' during this time. With the North having won the Civil War, the radical Republicans in Washington, D.C., set about to implement the policies of Reconstruction. We define Reconstruction as a period when the federal government passed new laws and amendments to improve the lives of countless newly freed slaves and rebuild Southern society. Quite a few historians focus on the ways Reconstruction affected the South; however, it's important to understand that the North was equally impacted during this time period.
The Reconstruction Amendments

When the Civil War came to an end, the states in the Union breathed a collective sigh of relief. There was no longer a need to worry about fighting or war. Unfortunately, the conflict was not truly over. Reconstruction ushered in a new era of disagreement in the United States, especially over the issue of freedmen, or former slaves.

While many people associate the North with emancipation and

The 13th Amendment brought an end to slavery in the U.S. This did not have a significant impact on the North, since slavery was already nonexistent in this part of the country. Similarly, the 14th Amendment, which made all former slaves citizens of the U.S., had a marginal effect in the North. The 14th Amendment was passed after the Civil Rights Act of 1866, effectively making African Americans equal to white citizens in the eyes of the law. For example, African Americans had the right to own property and sue another person in a court of