Reconstruction

Reconstruction was the attempt to answer these questions while rebuilding the South. It began in 1865, but the struggle between Congress, the president and Southern governments became particularly important during 1866–1877. Congress is the national legislature, made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Reconstruction required workers to repair buildings and restore services, while transport and healthcare also needed staff. Britain therefore needed more workers at the same time as it struggled to provide enough homes.

Reconstruction lasted from 1865 to 1877, after the American Civil War. It involved bringing the defeated Confederate states back into the Union, but it also raised a much deeper question: what rights would formerly enslaved African Americans possess?