Reconstruction had a profound impact on the United States, and its effects can still be seen today. Some of the key things that Reconstruction accomplished include:
* The abolition of slavery: The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, declared all slaves in the Confederate states to be free. The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery throughout the United States.
* The establishment of civil rights for African Americans: The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1868, granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States, regardless of race or previous condition of servitude. The Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870, prohibited states from depriving citizens of the right to vote based on race.
* The reconstruction of the war-torn South: Reconstruction involved a massive effort to rebuild the infrastructure of the South, which had been devastated by the Civil War. This included the construction of roads, bridges, schools, and hospitals.
* The reunification of the Union: The Union was reunited under the terms of the Reconstruction Acts of 1867 and 1868. These acts required the former Confederate states to ratify the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution and to guarantee equal civil and political rights to all citizens.
Reconstruction was a complex and challenging time in American history, but it also brought about significant changes that helped to shape the United States into the country it is today.