Photograph of ruins at Charleston, South Carolina: Broad Street, 1865
The Civil War officially ended on April 26, 1865 when Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to Union General William T. Sherman at Durham Station, North Carolina on April 14 of that same year. Union triumph of the war gave about four million slaves freedom. The period that followed the war was called Reconstruction. It was a time for rebuilding the south after devastation caused by the war; it lasted twelve years, from 1865 to 1877. It was lead under the guidance of President Andrew Johnson, who was previously Lincoln’s Vice President. During this new era, southern states passed “black codes” to restrict African American freedoms. Disapproval of these codes led to a more radical wing of the Republican Party, which then lead to Radical Reconstruction. Radical Reconstruction, which began in 1867, was a time where African Americans became more involved in politics, some were even able to hold office. However, in a few years, forces like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), would change and disregard all the positive effects that came from Radical Reconstruction, and revive white dominance.
Painting of Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the U.S. (1865–1869)
A political cartoon of Andrew Johnson and Abraham Lincoln about repairing the Union after the War, 1865, entitled "The Rail Splitter At Work Repairing the Union." The caption reads (Johnson): Take it quietly Uncle Abe and I will draw it closer than ever. (Lincoln): A few more stitches Andy and the good old Union will be mended.
Cartoon representing the actions and beliefs of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), an organization that focused on the removal of African American power, and the terorization of African Americans