The Reconstruction era was a very important time. The Civil War was a hardship, but half the fight was restoring what had been lost.
After the Civil War African-Americans were free, but their rights were still very tightly watched. Eventually the South ratified the Black Codes, which were designed to limit the freedom of blacks. The differences between the North and South were so tremendous it was hard to get anything done but soon the south gave in and the Civil Rights Movement started. Lincoln had many more bills to limit blacks sent his way. He vetoed them and eventually gave the right to vote to African-Americans in the fifteenth amendment. Southerners nearby disagreed. They set up a group called the Klu Klux Klan. The KKK discouraged blacks from voting by terrorizing them and soon barely any blacks were involved in election. This gave southerners more say in the government because the majority of blacks were in the north.
This was only one of the problems. Northerners wanted the South to be punished but the president thought this would make them even angrier and want to revolt again. The government had to come up with new states rights to prevent further separation. This lead to some blacks being elected into government positions to help with their rights. The very first African American that defended his right to be in the house and was later admitted was Joseph Payne. This once again made Southerners angry.
President Abraham Lincoln was a huge supporter of blacks and he worked to give them rights. Lincoln was assassinated because of his support of blacks in April 1865. This left vice-president Andrew Johnson in charge. Johnson kept the support for blacks going, but it was a difficult fight.
As the years have went on African-Americans have got more and more rights and they are a part of our culture and we are all equal. There will always be opposition towards other races but I pray people will realize God created us and loves us all.
