Ku Klux Klan on a poster that advertises the Griffith movie 'The Birth of a Nation,' 1915.

Reconstruction: A Timeline of America's First Attempt at Tackling Slavery's Legacy. Freedman's Bureau

Reconstruction, the era following the U.S. Civil War, was an effort to reunify the divided nation and integrate African Americans into society. The controversial steps taken gave rise to the Ku Klux Klan and other divisive groups.

Reconstruction

Reconstruction, the era following the U.S. Civil War, was an effort to reunify the divided nation and integrate African Americans into society. The controversial steps taken gave rise to the Ku Klux Klan and other divisive groups.

Reconstruction Archives | History.com

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HISTORY

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History

America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian - the U.S. president - would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.

U.S. Presidents

The U.S. government, with its three branches of government and a system of checks and balances, is responsible for governing the 50 states and all districts and territories of the United States.

US Government

Thaddeus Morgan

Erin Blakemore is a journalist from Boulder, Colorado.&nbsp;She has been a regular contributor to History.com since 2017.&nbsp;Her work has appeared in outlets like The Washington Post, National Geographic, The Atlantic, TIME, Smithsonian and more. Her book, The Heroine's Bookshelf (Harper), won the Colorado Book Award for nonfiction.&nbsp;Learn more about Erin and her work at <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__erinblakemore.com&amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;c=bHpC9irXhivtSwyVyKc43lLt4-cAwmmH7TeQLPqTb5E&amp;r=DnM91hJ18gcNL3QDGSFbaxqDKqUNYha-dXU1EFEqguU&amp;m=vPjVNQxO2UQahvbDx5QSGrZIVauVoSVO87pq3BXU4VA&amp;s=W8vCeHoc9ruSMJuG1fABd_TkZyW3fO6FQrfzkcrWSik&amp;e=">erinblakemore.com</a>

Erin Blakemore

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Becky Little

Farrell Evans is an award-winning journalist who writes about sports and history.

Farrell Evans

Crime

Alexis Clark

In the Roaring Twenties, a surging economy created an era of mass consumerism, as Jazz-Age flappers flouted Prohibition laws and the Harlem Renaissance redefined arts and culture.

Roaring Twenties

Race in America

The Civil War was America's bloodiest and most divisive conflict, pitting the Union Army against the Confederate States of America. The war resulted in the deaths of more than 620,000 people, with millions more injured and the South left in ruins.

Civil War

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. From Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad to the Montgomery Bus Boycott to Selma to Montgomery March to the Black Lives Matter movement, Black leaders, artists and writers have helped shaped the character and identity of a nation.

Black History

February is dedicated as Black History Month, honoring the triumphs and struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. history, including the civil rights movement and their artistic, cultural and political achievements.

The Great Depression began with the stock market crash of 1929 and was made worse by the 1930s Dust Bowl. President Franklin D. Roosevelt responded to the economic calamity with programs known as the New Deal.

Reconstruction ‑ Stories

Reconstruction: A Timeline of the Post‑Civil War Era

How Prohibition Fueled the Rise of the Ku Klux Klan

‘Ku Klux Kiddies’: The KKK’s Little‑Known Youth Movement

How Power Grabs in the South Erased Reforms After Reconstruction

The Unsolved Mystery of the First People Killed During the Civil Rights Movement

How an Ex‑KKK Member Made His Way Onto the U.S. Supreme Court

How ‘The Birth of a Nation’ Revived the Ku Klux Klan