Reconstruction Dbq

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After the Civil War ended in 1865, slaves were now free. The thirteenth amendment was created. This amendment would abolish slavery and free all slaves. This led to the Reconstruction Era. This was a period in time when the government tried to help former slaves with their citizenship and their rights. This would continue from 1865 to 1877. The Reconstruction was successful because former slaves were given the opportunity to gain citizenship and an education. The Freedmen's Bureau helped achieve this for former slaves. The Freedmen's Bureau was a government agency that provided basic needs and rights to freed African Americans. The government had several goals to make this work for African Americans and one was to give them the opportunity to gain citizenship. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 declared African Americans citizens of the United States. This was the first U.S. federal law to be made that protected citizens rights. This would later lead to the fourteenth amendment being made. This guaranteed them their rights and protection. States were prohibited from violating the rights of their citizens. The fifteenth amendment also helped them. …show more content…

They were now given a chance to get an education. Freedmen's Bureau was in charge of helping African Americans get settled into their new free life. They help establish several schools for them. More than 1,000 schools were built during this time. They were staffed with qualified teachers, most being African Americans. This would eventually lead to literacy rates increasing. Although they were segregated, there were still many going to school and the attendance grew by the 1880’s. This would lead to black colleges and universities being created. In the present time, there’s colleges targeted to the black community and offer them great opportunities. There are over 100 HBCU’s that offer opportunities to develop students skills and talents regardless of