Reconstruction Era (1865-1877)

After the Confederate South was defeated by the Union North in the civil war, there was much time needed for rebuilding and shaping of the Union. This time period in history is known as the Reconstruction Era. After the Union won the civil war in 1865, it became their responsibility to begin the reconstruction of the United States. The Reconstruction Era started at the end of the Civil War in 1865 and ended with the Compromise of 1877. The goals of the Reconstruction Era were to reunite the Southern states into the Union and to ensure the civil rights and freedom of the former slaves in t…