GCSE History (CIE)

The American West Topic Summaries

Reconstruction era (1865–1877)

Aftermath of the Civil War

  • The Civil War caused approximately 600,000 deaths and 400,000 injuries. Reconstruction was the process of rebuilding the South and redefining national unity after the Civil War through new legislature and enforcement by federal troops stationed in the South.
  • The Homestead Act (1862) offered 160 acres for $10 to anyone over 21 (except Native Americans or Confederates) who farmed it for 5 years.
    • The government wanted to encourage westward settlement to aid the country’s recovery.
    • By 1876, 6 million acres had been settled, but only 13 million acres were owned by 1884. Many claims failed due to poor farming conditions. 60% of claims were never ‘proved up’ because of the challenges of farming the Plains. 
  • The Thirteenth Amendment (1865): abolished slavery throughout the United States. It was ratified in December 1865 as a condition for Southern states’ readmission to the Union.
    • The amendment ended legal slavery but did not define civil or political rights for freed people.
    • Southern states sought to preserve white supremacy through alternative legal mechanisms.
  • The Civil Rights Act of 1866: was the first federal law to define US citizenship as belonging to all persons born in the United States, regardless of race, granting African Americans equal protections. President Andrew Johnson vetoed the Act, but Congress overrode him.
  • Carpetbaggers and scalawags: carpetbaggers were Northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction, often working as teachers, officials, or investors. Southern whites tended to view carpetbaggers as exploitative outsiders. Scalawags were Southern whites who supported Reconstruction governments. Both groups were resented by former Confederates and targeted politically.
  • The Freedman’s Bureau (1865–1872): provided food, education, medical care, and legal assistance to freed people. It also helped establish schools and colleges for African Americans, but faced underfunding and hostility from Southern whites so was disbanded in 1872. 
  • The Black Codes: Southern states passed laws in 1865–1866 which restricted African Americans’ movement, employment, and legal rights, essentially preserving a labour system similar to slavery. The Black Codes demonstrated Southern resistance to emancipation.

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