Reconstruction

Definition

Reconstruction was the period following the Civil War (1865-1877) during which the United States worked to reintegrate Southern states back into the Union and rebuild the country.

Related terms

13th Amendment: The constitutional amendment that officially abolished slavery in 1865.

14th Amendment: This amendment granted citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to African Americans and slaves who had been emancipated after the Civil War.

15th Amendment: This amendment prohibited governments from denying U.S. citizens the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.