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Reconstruction Era Timeline
Reconstruction was the period after the Civil War when the federal government worked to reunite the nation and define the rights of formerly enslaved Black Americans.
Put the Events in Order
The events shuffled, to number from first to last. With answer key.
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When the Civil War ended in April 1865, the United States faced enormous questions: What would happen to four million people who had been enslaved and were now free? How would the rebellious Southern states be brought back into the Union? What rights would Black Americans have? The period of Reconstruction was the government's attempt to answer those questions. It produced the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments — and for a brief time, Black men voted and held office across the South. But Reconstruction ended abruptly in 1877 when a political deal removed the last federal troops from the South, leaving Black Americans unprotected as Southern states stripped their rights through Jim Crow laws that would stand for nearly a century.
- 1865
Civil War Ends; Lincoln Assassinated
The Civil War ends in April with the Confederate surrender; President Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth five days after Lee surrenders.
Why it mattered: Lincoln's death was a catastrophic blow — his plan for a lenient reconciliation was replaced by a harder Congressional approach, and leadership passed to the far less skilled Andrew Johnson.
- 1865
13th Amendment — Slavery Abolished
The 13th Amendment is ratified in December, abolishing slavery everywhere in the United States.
Why it mattered: Slavery's legal end was Reconstruction's greatest achievement — but it left four million formerly enslaved people free with no land, no money, and uncertain legal rights.
- 1865
Freedmen's Bureau Created
Congress creates the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands to help formerly enslaved people transition to freedom.
Why it mattered: The Freedmen's Bureau provided food, housing, schools, and legal assistance to millions of Black Americans — the first major federal social welfare program in US history.
- 1865–66
Black Codes
Southern states pass restrictive laws called Black Codes to limit Black Americans' rights and keep them in conditions as close to slavery as possible.
Why it mattered: The Black Codes outraged Republicans in Congress and led them to take control of Reconstruction away from President Johnson — triggering the more radical phase.
- 1867
Congressional Reconstruction
Congress passes the Reconstruction Acts, dividing the South into military districts and requiring states to grant Black men the right to vote before rejoining the Union.
Why it mattered: For the first time, Black men across the South voted and held office — electing senators, congressmen, and local officials in significant numbers.
- 1868
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment is ratified, granting citizenship to everyone born in the United States and guaranteeing equal protection of the laws to all persons.
Why it mattered: The 14th Amendment fundamentally changed the Constitution — its equal protection clause became the legal foundation for almost every major civil rights advance in the 20th century.
- 1870
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment is ratified, prohibiting the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Why it mattered: For the first time Black men throughout the nation had a constitutional right to vote — a right they exercised in large numbers across the South during Reconstruction.
- 1870–71
Ku Klux Klan Acts
Congress passes laws giving the federal government power to prosecute the Ku Klux Klan and other groups using terrorism to stop Black Americans from voting.
Why it mattered: The Klan Acts led to real prosecutions and temporarily reduced Klan violence — demonstrating that federal enforcement could protect civil rights when the will existed to use it.
- 1873
Economic Panic Shifts Attention
A severe financial panic leads to a deep economic depression; Northern Republicans lose interest in Reconstruction as economic problems dominate attention.
Why it mattered: The panic shifted Northern focus away from the South — and without Northern pressure, the forces working to end Reconstruction grew stronger year by year.
- 1877
Reconstruction Ends
A political compromise to resolve the disputed 1876 presidential election results in the withdrawal of the last federal troops from the South.
Why it mattered: Without federal troops, Southern states rapidly stripped Black Americans of voting rights and civil liberties through Jim Crow laws — rights that would not be restored for nearly a century.
Reconstruction Era Quiz
Check what you learned — read on screen, or download the Quiz with Answer Key above for a worksheet version.
What did the 13th Amendment, ratified in 1865, do?
- A) Protected the right to vote regardless of race
- B) Abolished slavery throughout the United States
- C) Divided the South into five military districts
- D) Gave citizenship to everyone born in the United States
What were Black Codes?
- A) Northern state laws that punished former Confederate leaders
- B) Federal laws that protected the voting rights of Black Americans
- C) Southern state laws that limited the rights of Black Americans
- D) Army rules for governing the Southern military districts
What was the Freedmen's Bureau?
- A) A Southern state agency that enforced the Black Codes after the Civil War
- B) A federal agency that gave food, schools, and legal help to freed people
- C) A committee of Congress that wrote the Reconstruction amendments
- D) A federal agency that sold western farmland to Union army veterans
What did Congressional Reconstruction require Southern states to do?
- A) Give up statehood and remain federal territories for 20 years
- B) Elect only former Union officers to their state governments
- C) Write new constitutions and grant Black men the right to vote
- D) Pay the full cost of the war and give land to every freed family
What does the 14th Amendment guarantee?
- A) Citizenship for everyone born in the US and equal protection of the laws
- B) Voting rights for all men regardless of race or past enslavement
- C) Voting rights for women and the right to hold public office
- D) Freedom for all enslaved people and an end to slavery in every state and territory
What did the 15th Amendment prohibit?
- A) Charging a poll tax to vote in federal elections
- B) Holding people in slavery in any state
- C) Denying the right to vote based on sex
- D) Denying the right to vote based on race
What did the Ku Klux Klan Acts do?
- A) Let the federal government prosecute groups that used violence to stop Black voters
- B) Let former Confederate soldiers vote again if they swore loyalty to the Union
- C) Let Southern states form armed groups to keep order after federal troops had left
- D) Let the federal government remove any Southern governors who opposed Reconstruction
How did Reconstruction end?
- A) A treaty between Northern and Southern states in 1873 ended military rule
- B) A vote in Congress in 1870 declared that the goals of Reconstruction had all been met
- C) A Supreme Court ruling in 1876 ordered federal troops to leave the South at once
- D) A compromise over the disputed 1876 election pulled federal troops from the South
Show answer key
1. B · 2. C · 3. B · 4. C · 5. A · 6. D · 7. A · 8. D
Teaching packThe Civil War Teaching Pack, $7 — A two-week unit for grades 5 to 8: 40 lesson slides with guided notes, illustrated readings, road-to-war and campaigns maps, a Union strategy decision, the secession declarations, soldiers letters from both sides, the Gettysburg Address, a quiz and answer keys.See the pack
Related timelines
Civil War Timeline — The Civil War was the war between the Northern states (the Union) and the Southern states (the Confederacy) over slavery, states’ rights, and whether states could leave the Union. Open →
Civil Rights Movement Timeline — The Civil Rights Movement was a struggle by Black Americans to end legal discrimination and win equal rights under the law, led by figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Open →
How to print
Every sheet above is a ready-to-print PDF sized for US Letter paper (8.5 × 11"). The fill-in version keeps the dates and gives students lines to write each event, with the events listed at the bottom to place — good for review. The ordering activity and the quiz each end with an answer key.
Frequently asked questions
What was Reconstruction?
Reconstruction (1865-1877) was the period after the Civil War when the federal government worked to reunite the South with the rest of the country and define the rights of formerly enslaved Black Americans. It was a period of genuine progress — the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were ratified, and Black men voted and held office across the South — but it ended with a political compromise that left Black Americans unprotected for nearly a century.
Why did Reconstruction fail to secure lasting rights for Black Americans?
Reconstruction failed because white Southerners used violence, legal trickery, and eventually Jim Crow laws to deny Black Americans their rights once federal troops were withdrawn. Northern will to enforce Reconstruction faded after the 1873 economic panic, and the compromise that resolved the disputed 1876 election led to the removal of the last federal troops from the South in 1877 — leaving Black Southerners without protection.
What paper size should I print this on?
The timeline is sized for standard US Letter paper (8.5 × 11 in.). The Download PDF button gives you a print-ready file that fits the page automatically.