- Historical Eras > Civil War and Reconstruction (1861-1877) (x)
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Thaddeus Stevens Calls for Redistribution of Confederate Land
On January 6, 1865, General William T. Sherman issued Special Field Order #15, which gave millions of acres of land along the Atlantic coast to emancipated slaves, in lots of not more than 40 acres per family. In March 1865, Representative Thaddeus [...]
Southern Democrats Declare "a Dead Radical Is Very Harmless"
In 1876, using the Mississippi Plan as their model, the Democratic Party in South Carolina organized a chilling campaign of violence to steal the election for governor. Their strategy, excerpted below, succeeded with the election of former [...]
List of Murdered and Wounded Freedmen, 1868
Led by the self-styled “best men” of the South—planters, generals, lawyers and doctors—terrorist organizations like the White League and the Ku Klux Klan and paramilitary groups organized with the Democratic Party, led a [...]
Freedmen Defend Their School Against a Mob
The majority of schools for freedmen were established and run by freedmen, not by Northern reformers. Despite great logistical challenges—a scattered population, few resources to draw upon—Freedmen’s Bureau agents reported that emancipated [...]
A Native American Chief Explains the Source of Indian-Settler Conflict
Red Cloud, an Oglala Lakota chief, led a two year war against white settlers and railroad outposts between 1866 and 1868. Red Cloud's War, sometimes called the Powder River War, took place in parts of the Wyoming and Montana territories that were [...]
Federal Agents Offer Solutions for "Solving the Sioux Problem"
Native American warriors in the 19th century attacked the various people and institutions that threatened their way of life on the Great Plains. As these reports from various federal agents, including the Commissioner of Indian Affairs and General [...]
The Supreme Court Declares that the Constitution Does Not Protect Women’s Right to Vote
Female suffragists were disappointed when the final language of the 15th Amendment did not specifically protect the right of women to vote. Some women activists opposed the amendment for this reason. Virginia Minor was one of those activists. [...]
The Supreme Court Declares that the Constitution Does Not Protect Women’s Right to Vote (with text supports)
Female suffragists were disappointed when the final language of the 15th Amendment did not specifically protect the right of women to vote. Some women activists opposed the amendment for this reason. Virginia Minor was one of those activists. [...]
The Supreme Courts Declares Women “Unfit for Civil Life”
In 1869, Myra Bradwell sought to join the Illinois bar so that she could practice law. She had already studied law and began publishing Chicago Legal News, a weekly newspaper about court cases and laws around the nation. Although she passed the [...]
The 14th and 15th Amendments
Following the Civil War and abolition of slavery, Republicans in Congress passed reconstruction laws meant to guarantee full citizenship and suffrage to African Americans. The 14th amendment required states to guarantee the rights of all citizens, [...]