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Reconstruction

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"Reconstruction" is also the common textbook name for the entire national history during 1865 to 1877.
[[File:Recon-map.jpg|thumb|410px|Radical reconstruction: Army districts replaced state government, 1867-68]]
Reconstruction came in three phases. '''Presidential Reconstruction 1863-66''' was controlled by Presidents [[Abraham Lincoln]] and [[Andrew Johnson]], with the goal of speedily reuniting the country. Their moderate programs were opposed by the [[Radical Republicans]], a political faction that gained power after the 1866 elections and began '''Radical Reconstruction, 1866-1873''' emphasizing civil rights and voting rights for the Freedmen. A Republican coalition of Freedmen, [[Carpetbagger]]s and [[Scalawag]]s controlled most of the southern states. In the so-called '''Redemption, 1873-77''', white supremacist Southerners Southern Democrats (calling themselves "[[Redeemers]]") defeated the Republicans and took control of each southern state, marking the end of Reconstruction.
==Policy Issues==
By 1866, however, Johnson, with no party affiliation, broke with the moderate Republicans and aligned himself more with the Democrats who opposed equality and the Fourteenth Amendment. Radicals attacked the policies of Johnson, especially his veto of the Civil Rights Bill for the Freedmen.
The House elections of 1866 decisively changed the balance of power, giving the Radicals control of Congress and enough votes to overcome Johnson's vetoes and even to impeach him. Johnson was acquitted by one vote, but he remained almost powerless regarding Reconstruction policy. Radicals used the Army to take over the South and give the vote to black men, and they took the vote away from an estimated 10,000 or 15,000 white men who had been Confederate officials or senior officers. The Radical stage lasted for varying lengths in the different states, where a Republican coalition of Freedmen, Scalawags, and Carpetbaggers took control and promoted modernization through railroads and public schools. They were charged with corruption by their Southern Democrat opponents, the conservative–Democratic coalition, calling themselves "Redeemers" after 1870. Violence sponsored by the Democrat-founded [[Ku Klux Klan]] was overcome by federal intervention.
By 1877, however, Redeemers regained control of every state, and President [[Rutherford Hayes]] withdrew federal troops, causing the collapse of the remaining three Republican state governments. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were permanent legacies. Bitterness from the heated partisanship of the era lasted well into the 20th century.
 
==Further reading==
See [[Reconstruction historiography]] for a much longer guide and an explanation of how historians have tackled the topic.
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