Reconstruction and Post-Civil War America

The Compromise of 1877 was a purported informal, unwritten deal that settled the intensely disputed 1876 U.S. presidential election.
It resulted in the United States federal government pulling the last troops out of the South, and formally ended the Reconstruction Era.
As a result of the so-called Compromise of 1877 (or Compromise of 1876), Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina became Democratic once again, effectively marking the end of the Reconstruction era.
The Compromise of 1876 effectively ended the Reconstruction era. Southern Democrats' promises to protect civil and political rights of blacks were not kept, and the end of federal interference in southern affairs led to widespread disenfranchisement of blacks voters.
It was between Hayes and Tilden

The bureau's achievements varied from one location to another and from one agent to the next.
Over its course of existence, the bureau was underfunded and understaffed, with just 900 agents at its peak.
The Freedmen had both failures and successes
Northern whites ultimately failed to protect former slaves from white persecution and failed to engender fundamental changes to the social fabric of the South.
Southern whites had the sharecropping system which was essentially a legal form of slavery that kept blacks tied to land owned by rich white farmers, sharecropping became widespread in the South.
With little economic power, blacks ended up having to fight for civil rights on their own, as northern whites lost interest.

Stevens was a Radical Republican, and he wanted the people of the South to be punished for their actions, and Andrew Johnson was a pseudo-Democrat and thought what the Southerners did was ok
Didn't want the other parties reconstruction plan
Thaddeus Stevens followers wanted everyone that fought for the south to be punished, and Johnson's followers were all southerners.

It was effective in some areas, but was an overall failure
The freedman's bureau established schools for freed slaves
The kkk killed them and scared them into not being extremely effective
Provided essentials for people who could not afford them, like meals, water, temporary shelter, help to find lost relatives, provided schooling, helped solve disputes between Freedmen and past Slave owners
Was a short lived group that had good intentions and helped an amount of people

We had to stop his reconstruction plan because no one was pushing for it
Political power shifted to Andrew Johnson
It united the North because the person who led them through the war successfully was gone
Lincoln's message and goals of uniting the nation made others realize that he had a great impact on creating the US the way it is today
He had democratic principles that everyone is created equal that are still in place today
Northerners/moderate Republicans kept Lincoln's ideas alive

The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States, freeing millions of enslaved people and allowing them to own land and live as free citizens. In the short term, it ended the legal institution of slavery, but many former slaves still faced discrimination and economic hardship. In the long term, it laid the foundation for future civil rights progress. The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. and guaranteed equal protection under the law. This immediately overturned the Black Codes and protected African Americans’ civil rights, establishing federal authority over the states in matters of equality. Over time, it became the basis for many civil rights rulings. The Fifteenth Amendment granted African American men the right to vote, expanding democracy in the short term, though many states soon created barriers like literacy tests and poll taxes. In the long run, it marked a major step toward political equality and inspired future movements for voting rights. Together, these amendments redefined American freedom and citizenship after the Civil War.

The impeachment of President Andrew Johnson in 1868 was mainly caused by his constant clashes with the Radical Republicans in Congress over Reconstruction policies. Johnson wanted to follow a lenient plan for the South, allowing former Confederate leaders to regain power, while Congress aimed to protect the rights of freed African Americans and enforce stricter Reconstruction laws. The immediate cause of his impeachment was his violation of the Tenure of Office Act when he tried to remove Secretary of War Edwin Stanton without Senate approval. In the short term, Johnson was impeached by the House but narrowly avoided removal from office by one Senate vote. This event weakened his presidency and made him largely ineffective for the rest of his term. In the long term, it strengthened Congress’s power over Reconstruction and showed that the president could be held accountable by the legislative branch. The impeachment also deepened divisions between the executive and legislative branches during a critical period of rebuilding the nation.

President Andrew Johnson was impeached in 1868 after he tried to fire Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, a Lincoln appointee who supported Radical Reconstruction. This action violated the Tenure of Office Act, passed by Congress in 1867 to limit the president’s power to remove officials without Senate approval. Johnson opposed the act because he wanted control over Reconstruction in the South and resisted Congress’s efforts to protect the rights of freed slaves. Led by Thaddeus Stevens, the House of Representatives charged Johnson with wrongdoing and voted to impeach him for violating the Constitution. In May 1868, the Senate held his trial for “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Johnson narrowly avoided removal from office by just one vote. The impeachment weakened his presidency and left him with little political power for the rest of his term. Its long-term effect was setting the precedent that impeachment should be reserved for serious crimes, not simply political disagreements between Congress and the president.