The American Civil War and the post-war Reconstruction caused a drastic change in American life and America itself. Following the Civil War and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln was Andrew Johnson’s form of Reconstruction. During Johnson’s Reconstruction, the 13th Amendment was ratified, which abolished slavery within the United States of America. The ratification of the 13th Amendment lead to the 14th and 15th Amendments promising national citizenships and equality for all and to punish states that denied the vote to black men. Furthermore, the Reconstruction Acts established military districts in the south and in order for them to return to state status, “they had to revise their own constitutions and ratify the 14th Amendment.”
