Reconstruction

The Reconstruction era is the period in American history from circa 1861-1873, concerned with both the reintegration of the Southern states into the Union and the granting of rights to the newly emancipated African Americans. In Gates words, Reconstruction was a "monumental effort to create a biracial democracy out of the wreckage of the rebellion" (7) of the Civil War. The era saw the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, which outlawed slavery, and granted the rights of citizenship and voting to the newly freed slaves (voting rights were granted to the African American men only). Gates argues that the gains made by African Americans in this period were dramatically scaled back in the period immediately following Reconstruction, which he terms "Redemption" (xv).

Redemption

The Redemption era began circa 1871, and transitioned into Jim Crow in the early 20th century. Redemption was marked by...