Reconstruction: Quick Facts

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Nov. 12, 2026

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Date	1865 - 1877
Location	United States
Context	American Civil War • Reconstruction Acts

An economic depression during which much of the South fell into poverty led to the Democratic Party winning the House of Representatives again, the first time since the Civil War. This helped end Reconstruction.
Some midwestern states adopted laws to regulate or even stop the movement of freed African Americans into those states.
The Civil Rights Act was the first significant bill that became a law despite a presidential veto.