Historical Figures

Who carried out reconstruction?

Reconstruction was primarily carried out by the federal government of the United States, led by the Republican Party, during and after the American Civil War (1861–1865). President Abraham Lincoln, President Andrew Johnson, and President Ulysses S. Grant played key roles in the process. The federal government appointed military governors and implemented various policies aimed at reconstructing the Southern states that had seceded from the Union. These included abolishing slavery, providing civil rights to formerly enslaved people, establishing new state constitutions, and rebuilding infrastructure.