During Reconstruction, African-Americans were able to engage in civic life in ways that they wouldn’t be able to again for another 100 years.
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1 of 26Hiram R. Revels, the first African-American to serve in the U.S. Congress.
Revels was born free in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1827. He was ordained as a minister and served as a chaplain in the Union Army during the Civil War before being elected to the Senate in 1870.Time Life Pictures/Timepix/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images 2 of 26One of a series of racist posters attacking Radical Republican exponents of black suffrage, issued during the 1866 Pennsylvania gubernatorial race.
The poster specifically characterizes Democratic candidate Hiester Clymer’s indeed white supremacist platform as “for the White Man,” represented here by the head on the left. In contrast, the stereotyped African-American head on the right represents Clymer’s opponent, James White Geary, and his platform as being “for the Negro.“Wikimedia Commons 3 of 26Another poster from the 1866 Pennsylvania series.Wikimedia Commons 4 of 2619th century lynching at a Kentucky courthouse. Culture Club/Getty Images 5 of 26A schoolhouse for Black children is burned by a white mob in the Memphis Riots of 1866.Wikimedia Commons 6 of 26This Reconstruction-era political cartoon shows a white Southern congressman-elect telling clerk of the House of Representatives that he would like to secure his old seat, only to be told that, due to Reconstruction, “we can not accommodate you.”
This cartoon alludes to the Ironclad Oath, which prevented ex-Confederate officers from holding office. This required anyone seeking a place in Congress to swear that they had never supported the Confederacy.Wikimedia Commons 7 of 26This woodcut depicts Hiram Revels taking the oath of office to become a senator in Washington, D.C. on February 25, 1870.Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images 8 of 26Cartoon showing Jefferson Davis, formerly the president of the Confederacy, looking over his shoulder at Hiram Revels, seated in the United States Senate. 1870.Library of Congress 9 of 26Sketched group portrait of the first black senator, Hiram Revels, as well as black representatives in Congress during the Reconstruction Era. Circa 1870-1875.Archive Photos/Getty Images 10 of 26Blanche Bruce was the first elected black senator to serve a full term (1875-1881). He continued to be a prominent member of society in Washington, D.C. after he left office.Wikimedia Commons 11 of 26Extract from the reconstructed Constitution of the state of Louisiana, with portraits of the distinguished members of the Convention & Assembly. 1868. All the members of this assembly were black. Wikimedia Commons 12 of 26Photomontage of members of the first South Carolina legislature following the Civil War. Many of these new representatives were black or at least supported civil rights for black Americans.Library of Congress 13 of 26American naval officer and politician Robert Smalls.
Born into slavery, he was forced to serve in the Confederate Navy during the Civil War. He took command of a ship and delivered it to Union forces He then became a pilot in the U.S. Navy, advanced to the rank of captain in 1863, becoming the highest ranking African-American officer in the Union Army. Later he became a member of the South Carolina State House of Representatives.Wikimedia Commons 14 of 26In the main image, Congressmen Robert B. Elliott of South Carolina delivers a speech on civil rights to the House of Representatives. January 6, 1874.
The other images depict some of the collective experiences of blacks during and after the Civil War.MPI/Getty Images 15 of 26After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his vice president, Andrew Johnson, came to power. His sympathy for Confederates, as well as his general incompetence as a politician eventually led to the poor implementation of Reconstruction policies.Library of Congress 16 of 261866 cartoon showing Andrew Johnson as the deceitful Iago who betrayed Othello, portrayed here as an African-American Civil War veteran.The New York Historical Society/Getty Images 17 of 261871 sketch by depicting blacks voting during an election in the state of Virginia. American Stock/Getty Images 18 of 26Joseph Hayne Rainey was the second black person to serve in the U.S. Congress. He served in South Carolina’s first district. Wikimedia Commons 19 of 26Office of the Freedmen’s Bureau in Memphis, Tennessee. 1866. The Freedman’s Bureau was a federal agency created in 1865 to aid newly freed slaves. The bureau built schools, aided in reconnecting families, and provided legal advocates for African-Americans in Southern states.Wikimedia Commons 20 of 261867 Harper’s Weekly political cartoon by Thomas Nast, depicting an African-American man casting his ballot during an election as Andrew Johnson and others look on angrily.Getty Images/Getty Images 21 of 26African-Americans vote for the first time, as depicted in 1867 on the cover of Harper’s Weekly. Engraving by Alfred R. Waud.Wikimedia Commons 22 of 26Sketch of the “Colored National Convention” in Tennessee, 1876.Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images 23 of 26From scenes depicting blacks serving on juries to scenes of blacks registering to vote, these illustrations portray the integration of blacks into civic processes during Reconstruction.Universal History Archive/Contributor/Getty Images 24 of 26Despite federal intervention, white supremacist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and The White League terrorized African-Americans in the South. Early in Reconstruction, the federal government was able to curtail some of the violence, but as the Southern states rejoined the U.S. government, and laws restricting Confederates from holding office were done away with, Southern states passed laws restricting the federal government from intervening to help black Americans in the South.Wikimedia Commons 25 of 26President Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881). He ended the Reconstruction Era when he withdrew federal troops from the South and reinstated home-rule of Southern states.Wikimedia Commons 26 of 26Like this gallery?Share it:
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25 Reconstruction Era Images That’ll Change Your View Of American History View Gallery
After the defeat of the Confederate Army at the end of the American Civil War, the South entered a long period known as Reconstruction. During this time, the Northern federal government took control of the South in an effort to rebuild industry, suppress further rebellion, and ensure the rights of former slaves under the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution.
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1 of 26Hiram R. Revels, the first African-American to serve in the U.S. Congress.
Revels was born free in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1827. He was ordained as a minister and served as a chaplain in the Union Army during the Civil War before being elected to the Senate in 1870.Time Life Pictures/Timepix/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images 2 of 26One of a series of racist posters attacking Radical Republican exponents of black suffrage, issued during the 1866 Pennsylvania gubernatorial race.
The poster specifically characterizes Democratic candidate Hiester Clymer’s indeed white supremacist platform as “for the White Man,” represented here by the head on the left. In contrast, the stereotyped African-American head on the right represents Clymer’s opponent, James White Geary, and his platform as being “for the Negro.“Wikimedia Commons 3 of 26Another poster from the 1866 Pennsylvania series.Wikimedia Commons 4 of 2619th century lynching at a Kentucky courthouse. Culture Club/Getty Images 5 of 26A schoolhouse for Black children is burned by a white mob in the Memphis Riots of 1866.Wikimedia Commons 6 of 26This Reconstruction-era political cartoon shows a white Southern congressman-elect telling clerk of the House of Representatives that he would like to secure his old seat, only to be told that, due to Reconstruction, “we can not accommodate you.”
This cartoon alludes to the Ironclad Oath, which prevented ex-Confederate officers from holding office. This required anyone seeking a place in Congress to swear that they had never supported the Confederacy.Wikimedia Commons 7 of 26This woodcut depicts Hiram Revels taking the oath of office to become a senator in Washington, D.C. on February 25, 1870.Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images 8 of 26Cartoon showing Jefferson Davis, formerly the president of the Confederacy, looking over his shoulder at Hiram Revels, seated in the United States Senate. 1870.Library of Congress 9 of 26Sketched group portrait of the first black senator, Hiram Revels, as well as black representatives in Congress during the Reconstruction Era. Circa 1870-1875.Archive Photos/Getty Images 10 of 26Blanche Bruce was the first elected black senator to serve a full term (1875-1881). He continued to be a prominent member of society in Washington, D.C. after he left office.Wikimedia Commons 11 of 26Extract from the reconstructed Constitution of the state of Louisiana, with portraits of the distinguished members of the Convention & Assembly. 1868. All the members of this assembly were black. Wikimedia Commons 12 of 26Photomontage of members of the first South Carolina legislature following the Civil War. Many of these new representatives were black or at least supported civil rights for black Americans.Library of Congress 13 of 26American naval officer and politician Robert Smalls.
Born into slavery, he was forced to serve in the Confederate Navy during the Civil War. He took command of a ship and delivered it to Union forces He then became a pilot in the U.S. Navy, advanced to the rank of captain in 1863, becoming the highest ranking African-American officer in the Union Army. Later he became a member of the South Carolina State House of Representatives.Wikimedia Commons 14 of 26In the main image, Congressmen Robert B. Elliott of South Carolina delivers a speech on civil rights to the House of Representatives. January 6, 1874.
The other images depict some of the collective experiences of blacks during and after the Civil War.MPI/Getty Images 15 of 26After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his vice president, Andrew Johnson, came to power. His sympathy for Confederates, as well as his general incompetence as a politician eventually led to the poor implementation of Reconstruction policies.Library of Congress 16 of 261866 cartoon showing Andrew Johnson as the deceitful Iago who betrayed Othello, portrayed here as an African-American Civil War veteran.The New York Historical Society/Getty Images 17 of 261871 sketch by depicting blacks voting during an election in the state of Virginia. American Stock/Getty Images 18 of 26Joseph Hayne Rainey was the second black person to serve in the U.S. Congress. He served in South Carolina’s first district. Wikimedia Commons 19 of 26Office of the Freedmen’s Bureau in Memphis, Tennessee. 1866. The Freedman’s Bureau was a federal agency created in 1865 to aid newly freed slaves. The bureau built schools, aided in reconnecting families, and provided legal advocates for African-Americans in Southern states.Wikimedia Commons 20 of 261867 Harper’s Weekly political cartoon by Thomas Nast, depicting an African-American man casting his ballot during an election as Andrew Johnson and others look on angrily.Getty Images/Getty Images 21 of 26African-Americans vote for the first time, as depicted in 1867 on the cover of Harper’s Weekly. Engraving by Alfred R. Waud.Wikimedia Commons 22 of 26Sketch of the “Colored National Convention” in Tennessee, 1876.Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images 23 of 26From scenes depicting blacks serving on juries to scenes of blacks registering to vote, these illustrations portray the integration of blacks into civic processes during Reconstruction.Universal History Archive/Contributor/Getty Images 24 of 26Despite federal intervention, white supremacist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and The White League terrorized African-Americans in the South. Early in Reconstruction, the federal government was able to curtail some of the violence, but as the Southern states rejoined the U.S. government, and laws restricting Confederates from holding office were done away with, Southern states passed laws restricting the federal government from intervening to help black Americans in the South.Wikimedia Commons 25 of 26President Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881). He ended the Reconstruction Era when he withdrew federal troops from the South and reinstated home-rule of Southern states.Wikimedia Commons 26 of 26Like this gallery?Share it:
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27 Vietnam War Facts That Will Change How You View American History
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29 Astounding Images Of American Presidents As Young Men
1 of 26Hiram R. Revels, the first African-American to serve in the U.S. Congress.
Revels was born free in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1827. He was ordained as a minister and served as a chaplain in the Union Army during the Civil War before being elected to the Senate in 1870.Time Life Pictures/Timepix/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images 2 of 26One of a series of racist posters attacking Radical Republican exponents of black suffrage, issued during the 1866 Pennsylvania gubernatorial race.
The poster specifically characterizes Democratic candidate Hiester Clymer’s indeed white supremacist platform as “for the White Man,” represented here by the head on the left. In contrast, the stereotyped African-American head on the right represents Clymer’s opponent, James White Geary, and his platform as being “for the Negro.“Wikimedia Commons 3 of 26Another poster from the 1866 Pennsylvania series.Wikimedia Commons 4 of 2619th century lynching at a Kentucky courthouse. Culture Club/Getty Images 5 of 26A schoolhouse for Black children is burned by a white mob in the Memphis Riots of 1866.Wikimedia Commons 6 of 26This Reconstruction-era political cartoon shows a white Southern congressman-elect telling clerk of the House of Representatives that he would like to secure his old seat, only to be told that, due to Reconstruction, “we can not accommodate you.”
This cartoon alludes to the Ironclad Oath, which prevented ex-Confederate officers from holding office. This required anyone seeking a place in Congress to swear that they had never supported the Confederacy.Wikimedia Commons 7 of 26This woodcut depicts Hiram Revels taking the oath of office to become a senator in Washington, D.C. on February 25, 1870.Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images 8 of 26Cartoon showing Jefferson Davis, formerly the president of the Confederacy, looking over his shoulder at Hiram Revels, seated in the United States Senate. 1870.Library of Congress 9 of 26Sketched group portrait of the first black senator, Hiram Revels, as well as black representatives in Congress during the Reconstruction Era. Circa 1870-1875.Archive Photos/Getty Images 10 of 26Blanche Bruce was the first elected black senator to serve a full term (1875-1881). He continued to be a prominent member of society in Washington, D.C. after he left office.Wikimedia Commons 11 of 26Extract from the reconstructed Constitution of the state of Louisiana, with portraits of the distinguished members of the Convention & Assembly. 1868. All the members of this assembly were black. Wikimedia Commons 12 of 26Photomontage of members of the first South Carolina legislature following the Civil War. Many of these new representatives were black or at least supported civil rights for black Americans.Library of Congress 13 of 26American naval officer and politician Robert Smalls.
Born into slavery, he was forced to serve in the Confederate Navy during the Civil War. He took command of a ship and delivered it to Union forces He then became a pilot in the U.S. Navy, advanced to the rank of captain in 1863, becoming the highest ranking African-American officer in the Union Army. Later he became a member of the South Carolina State House of Representatives.Wikimedia Commons 14 of 26In the main image, Congressmen Robert B. Elliott of South Carolina delivers a speech on civil rights to the House of Representatives. January 6, 1874.
The other images depict some of the collective experiences of blacks during and after the Civil War.MPI/Getty Images 15 of 26After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his vice president, Andrew Johnson, came to power. His sympathy for Confederates, as well as his general incompetence as a politician eventually led to the poor implementation of Reconstruction policies.Library of Congress 16 of 261866 cartoon showing Andrew Johnson as the deceitful Iago who betrayed Othello, portrayed here as an African-American Civil War veteran.The New York Historical Society/Getty Images 17 of 261871 sketch by depicting blacks voting during an election in the state of Virginia. American Stock/Getty Images 18 of 26Joseph Hayne Rainey was the second black person to serve in the U.S. Congress. He served in South Carolina’s first district. Wikimedia Commons 19 of 26Office of the Freedmen’s Bureau in Memphis, Tennessee. 1866. The Freedman’s Bureau was a federal agency created in 1865 to aid newly freed slaves. The bureau built schools, aided in reconnecting families, and provided legal advocates for African-Americans in Southern states.Wikimedia Commons 20 of 261867 Harper’s Weekly political cartoon by Thomas Nast, depicting an African-American man casting his ballot during an election as Andrew Johnson and others look on angrily.Getty Images/Getty Images 21 of 26African-Americans vote for the first time, as depicted in 1867 on the cover of Harper’s Weekly. Engraving by Alfred R. Waud.Wikimedia Commons 22 of 26Sketch of the “Colored National Convention” in Tennessee, 1876.Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images 23 of 26From scenes depicting blacks serving on juries to scenes of blacks registering to vote, these illustrations portray the integration of blacks into civic processes during Reconstruction.Universal History Archive/Contributor/Getty Images 24 of 26Despite federal intervention, white supremacist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and The White League terrorized African-Americans in the South. Early in Reconstruction, the federal government was able to curtail some of the violence, but as the Southern states rejoined the U.S. government, and laws restricting Confederates from holding office were done away with, Southern states passed laws restricting the federal government from intervening to help black Americans in the South.Wikimedia Commons 25 of 26President Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881). He ended the Reconstruction Era when he withdrew federal troops from the South and reinstated home-rule of Southern states.Wikimedia Commons 26 of 26Like this gallery?Share it:
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1 of 26Hiram R. Revels, the first African-American to serve in the U.S. Congress.
Revels was born free in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1827. He was ordained as a minister and served as a chaplain in the Union Army during the Civil War before being elected to the Senate in 1870.Time Life Pictures/Timepix/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images 2 of 26One of a series of racist posters attacking Radical Republican exponents of black suffrage, issued during the 1866 Pennsylvania gubernatorial race.
The poster specifically characterizes Democratic candidate Hiester Clymer’s indeed white supremacist platform as “for the White Man,” represented here by the head on the left. In contrast, the stereotyped African-American head on the right represents Clymer’s opponent, James White Geary, and his platform as being “for the Negro.“Wikimedia Commons 3 of 26Another poster from the 1866 Pennsylvania series.Wikimedia Commons 4 of 2619th century lynching at a Kentucky courthouse. Culture Club/Getty Images 5 of 26A schoolhouse for Black children is burned by a white mob in the Memphis Riots of 1866.Wikimedia Commons 6 of 26This Reconstruction-era political cartoon shows a white Southern congressman-elect telling clerk of the House of Representatives that he would like to secure his old seat, only to be told that, due to Reconstruction, “we can not accommodate you.”
This cartoon alludes to the Ironclad Oath, which prevented ex-Confederate officers from holding office. This required anyone seeking a place in Congress to swear that they had never supported the Confederacy.Wikimedia Commons 7 of 26This woodcut depicts Hiram Revels taking the oath of office to become a senator in Washington, D.C. on February 25, 1870.Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images 8 of 26Cartoon showing Jefferson Davis, formerly the president of the Confederacy, looking over his shoulder at Hiram Revels, seated in the United States Senate. 1870.Library of Congress 9 of 26Sketched group portrait of the first black senator, Hiram Revels, as well as black representatives in Congress during the Reconstruction Era. Circa 1870-1875.Archive Photos/Getty Images 10 of 26Blanche Bruce was the first elected black senator to serve a full term (1875-1881). He continued to be a prominent member of society in Washington, D.C. after he left office.Wikimedia Commons 11 of 26Extract from the reconstructed Constitution of the state of Louisiana, with portraits of the distinguished members of the Convention & Assembly. 1868. All the members of this assembly were black. Wikimedia Commons 12 of 26Photomontage of members of the first South Carolina legislature following the Civil War. Many of these new representatives were black or at least supported civil rights for black Americans.Library of Congress 13 of 26American naval officer and politician Robert Smalls.
Born into slavery, he was forced to serve in the Confederate Navy during the Civil War. He took command of a ship and delivered it to Union forces He then became a pilot in the U.S. Navy, advanced to the rank of captain in 1863, becoming the highest ranking African-American officer in the Union Army. Later he became a member of the South Carolina State House of Representatives.Wikimedia Commons 14 of 26In the main image, Congressmen Robert B. Elliott of South Carolina delivers a speech on civil rights to the House of Representatives. January 6, 1874.
The other images depict some of the collective experiences of blacks during and after the Civil War.MPI/Getty Images 15 of 26After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his vice president, Andrew Johnson, came to power. His sympathy for Confederates, as well as his general incompetence as a politician eventually led to the poor implementation of Reconstruction policies.Library of Congress 16 of 261866 cartoon showing Andrew Johnson as the deceitful Iago who betrayed Othello, portrayed here as an African-American Civil War veteran.The New York Historical Society/Getty Images 17 of 261871 sketch by depicting blacks voting during an election in the state of Virginia. American Stock/Getty Images 18 of 26Joseph Hayne Rainey was the second black person to serve in the U.S. Congress. He served in South Carolina’s first district. Wikimedia Commons 19 of 26Office of the Freedmen’s Bureau in Memphis, Tennessee. 1866. The Freedman’s Bureau was a federal agency created in 1865 to aid newly freed slaves. The bureau built schools, aided in reconnecting families, and provided legal advocates for African-Americans in Southern states.Wikimedia Commons 20 of 261867 Harper’s Weekly political cartoon by Thomas Nast, depicting an African-American man casting his ballot during an election as Andrew Johnson and others look on angrily.Getty Images/Getty Images 21 of 26African-Americans vote for the first time, as depicted in 1867 on the cover of Harper’s Weekly. Engraving by Alfred R. Waud.Wikimedia Commons 22 of 26Sketch of the “Colored National Convention” in Tennessee, 1876.Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images 23 of 26From scenes depicting blacks serving on juries to scenes of blacks registering to vote, these illustrations portray the integration of blacks into civic processes during Reconstruction.Universal History Archive/Contributor/Getty Images 24 of 26Despite federal intervention, white supremacist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and The White League terrorized African-Americans in the South. Early in Reconstruction, the federal government was able to curtail some of the violence, but as the Southern states rejoined the U.S. government, and laws restricting Confederates from holding office were done away with, Southern states passed laws restricting the federal government from intervening to help black Americans in the South.Wikimedia Commons 25 of 26President Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881). He ended the Reconstruction Era when he withdrew federal troops from the South and reinstated home-rule of Southern states.Wikimedia Commons 26 of 26Like this gallery?Share it:
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1 of 26Hiram R. Revels, the first African-American to serve in the U.S. Congress.
Revels was born free in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1827. He was ordained as a minister and served as a chaplain in the Union Army during the Civil War before being elected to the Senate in 1870.Time Life Pictures/Timepix/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
2 of 26One of a series of racist posters attacking Radical Republican exponents of black suffrage, issued during the 1866 Pennsylvania gubernatorial race.
The poster specifically characterizes Democratic candidate Hiester Clymer’s indeed white supremacist platform as “for the White Man,” represented here by the head on the left. In contrast, the stereotyped African-American head on the right represents Clymer’s opponent, James White Geary, and his platform as being “for the Negro.“Wikimedia Commons
3 of 26Another poster from the 1866 Pennsylvania series.Wikimedia Commons
4 of 2619th century lynching at a Kentucky courthouse. Culture Club/Getty Images
5 of 26A schoolhouse for Black children is burned by a white mob in the Memphis Riots of 1866.Wikimedia Commons
6 of 26This Reconstruction-era political cartoon shows a white Southern congressman-elect telling clerk of the House of Representatives that he would like to secure his old seat, only to be told that, due to Reconstruction, “we can not accommodate you.”
This cartoon alludes to the Ironclad Oath, which prevented ex-Confederate officers from holding office. This required anyone seeking a place in Congress to swear that they had never supported the Confederacy.Wikimedia Commons
7 of 26This woodcut depicts Hiram Revels taking the oath of office to become a senator in Washington, D.C. on February 25, 1870.Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images
8 of 26Cartoon showing Jefferson Davis, formerly the president of the Confederacy, looking over his shoulder at Hiram Revels, seated in the United States Senate. 1870.Library of Congress
9 of 26Sketched group portrait of the first black senator, Hiram Revels, as well as black representatives in Congress during the Reconstruction Era. Circa 1870-1875.Archive Photos/Getty Images
10 of 26Blanche Bruce was the first elected black senator to serve a full term (1875-1881). He continued to be a prominent member of society in Washington, D.C. after he left office.Wikimedia Commons
11 of 26Extract from the reconstructed Constitution of the state of Louisiana, with portraits of the distinguished members of the Convention & Assembly. 1868. All the members of this assembly were black. Wikimedia Commons
12 of 26Photomontage of members of the first South Carolina legislature following the Civil War. Many of these new representatives were black or at least supported civil rights for black Americans.Library of Congress
13 of 26American naval officer and politician Robert Smalls.
Born into slavery, he was forced to serve in the Confederate Navy during the Civil War. He took command of a ship and delivered it to Union forces He then became a pilot in the U.S. Navy, advanced to the rank of captain in 1863, becoming the highest ranking African-American officer in the Union Army. Later he became a member of the South Carolina State House of Representatives.Wikimedia Commons
14 of 26In the main image, Congressmen Robert B. Elliott of South Carolina delivers a speech on civil rights to the House of Representatives. January 6, 1874.
The other images depict some of the collective experiences of blacks during and after the Civil War.MPI/Getty Images
15 of 26After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his vice president, Andrew Johnson, came to power. His sympathy for Confederates, as well as his general incompetence as a politician eventually led to the poor implementation of Reconstruction policies.Library of Congress
16 of 261866 cartoon showing Andrew Johnson as the deceitful Iago who betrayed Othello, portrayed here as an African-American Civil War veteran.The New York Historical Society/Getty Images
17 of 261871 sketch by depicting blacks voting during an election in the state of Virginia. American Stock/Getty Images
18 of 26Joseph Hayne Rainey was the second black person to serve in the U.S. Congress. He served in South Carolina’s first district. Wikimedia Commons
19 of 26Office of the Freedmen’s Bureau in Memphis, Tennessee. 1866. The Freedman’s Bureau was a federal agency created in 1865 to aid newly freed slaves. The bureau built schools, aided in reconnecting families, and provided legal advocates for African-Americans in Southern states.Wikimedia Commons
20 of 261867 Harper’s Weekly political cartoon by Thomas Nast, depicting an African-American man casting his ballot during an election as Andrew Johnson and others look on angrily.Getty Images/Getty Images
21 of 26African-Americans vote for the first time, as depicted in 1867 on the cover of Harper’s Weekly. Engraving by Alfred R. Waud.Wikimedia Commons
22 of 26Sketch of the “Colored National Convention” in Tennessee, 1876.Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
23 of 26From scenes depicting blacks serving on juries to scenes of blacks registering to vote, these illustrations portray the integration of blacks into civic processes during Reconstruction.Universal History Archive/Contributor/Getty Images
24 of 26Despite federal intervention, white supremacist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and The White League terrorized African-Americans in the South. Early in Reconstruction, the federal government was able to curtail some of the violence, but as the Southern states rejoined the U.S. government, and laws restricting Confederates from holding office were done away with, Southern states passed laws restricting the federal government from intervening to help black Americans in the South.Wikimedia Commons
25 of 26President Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881). He ended the Reconstruction Era when he withdrew federal troops from the South and reinstated home-rule of Southern states.Wikimedia Commons
26 of 26Like this gallery?Share it:
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25 Reconstruction Era Images That’ll Change Your View Of American History View Gallery
25 Reconstruction Era Images That’ll Change Your View Of American History View Gallery
25 Reconstruction Era Images That’ll Change Your View Of American History View Gallery
25 Reconstruction Era Images That’ll Change Your View Of American History View Gallery
25 Reconstruction Era Images That’ll Change Your View Of American History
View Gallery
Throughout Reconstruction, between the end of the Civil War and the enactment of Jim Crow segregation laws starting in the late 1870s, African-Americans in the South were able to exercise their rights and participate in society in ways that they couldn’t before — and, in many ways, wouldn’t be able to again after Reconstruction for almost another hundred years.
However, while the Reconstruction era lasted, oversight of government organizations in the South helped reduce the suppression of African-American voters and, due to laws that prevented many former Confederate officers and soldiers from holding office, gave African-Americans the opportunity to serve as government officials all across the South.
Nevertheless, many African-Americans still faced violence and even death at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan. Federal troops, however, were able to drive the group underground, until they reemerged at the turn of the century, well after Reconstruction had ended.
Reconstruction came to a close in 1877 when President Rutherford B. Hayes withdrew federal troops from the South. Without the federal government enforcing civil rights for African-Americans, the South soon came back under the control of White Southern Democrats, who enacted a series of segregationist laws that removed African-Americans from the political process and placed them at the bottom of a legal caste system.
Above, you’ll find some of the most striking images from the Reconstruction era of 1865 to 1877, a brief respite between two long periods of racist suppression in America. It was a time when African-Americans in the South were momentarily afforded, at least superficially, legal rights as citizens of the United States.
After seeing these photos from the Reconstruction era, see some of the most powerful photos of segregation and read these facts about American history you probably never knew.
