Reconstruction was the bringing back of the southern states into the Union. The Civil War amendments to the U.S. Constitution (13-14-15) freed the slaves, made them citizens, and gave voting rights to male adult blacks. The local and state legislatures in the South passed segregation laws known as the Jim Crow Laws. The 14th and 15th amendments were never followed by the whites in the South. Segregation and discrimination of the blacks lasted from Reconstruction until the mid-1950s. Other blacks were also honored by being elected to positions like sheriff, mayor, and superintendent of education.Northern soldiers were positioned in the South to enforce the Reconstruction laws.
