The Reconstruction Era was based on citizenship and equality. Reconstruction was a way to redefine the place of African Americans in society. After the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation allowing the freedom of all slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways because it only applied to states that were members of the rebellion. However, it influenced citizens in both the North and South to accept the abolition of slavery. In 1865, the Freedman's Bureau was established by Congress to provide aid to newly freed African Americans to help them escape slavery. The Freedman's Bureau provided food, housing, medical aid, schools, and promised to settle former slaves on confiscated or abandoned land. In 1865, Congress passed the 13th Amendment, officially abolishing slavery. During this period of reconstruction, land ownership was the key to economic autonomy. Former slaves sought to proclaim their independence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The 13th Amendment threw the Southern states into chaos. Even though the 13th Amendment granted freedom to African Americans, it was still used as punishment for crime; in order to get free work. The Freedman's Bureau's hopeful promise of land was returned to the ex-Confederates. Former slaves were then encouraged to go and work as employees for their former owners. This allowed southern landowners to reestablish a slave-like workforce. This type of system, sharecropping, allowed a farmer to use the land in exchange for a small share of the harvest. Sharecropping gave African Americans much more freedom, but kept them in debt from generation to generation. African Americans enjoyed legal freedom, but little more. The Black Codes were used to restore the old order of slavery. The Black Codes granted certain freedoms to African Americans, such as the right to own property and marry within the same race. The black codes were aimed more at restricting work and activity. These codes prohibited blacks from voting, testifying in court, and serving on juries or militias. This allowed Southern whites to retain political power and keep the slave mentality alive, ensuring cheap labor. This tied black workers to land they did not own, oppressing the freedom of newly freed slaves. Republicans responded with the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which was the first federal attempt to constitutionally define all U.S.-born residents as citizens. The 14th Amendment developed alongside the Civil Rights Act, which granted equal civil and legal rights to emancipated slaves after the Civil War. It ensured that state laws could not discriminate against a particular group of people. Black Americans began joining local, state, and federal governments for the first time in history. Southern society attempted to find loopholes to explain why black men could not vote or participate in political parties. The 15th Amendment was passed by Congress in 1869, to prevent disenfranchisement. The 15th Amendment gave citizens the right to vote regardless of race or color, redefining the terms of democracy. Before long, African Americans began to hold positions of power. 2019).