America’s 250th Scavenger Hunt – STOP SEVEN

1865–1867:
- 1865 (The Freedmen’s Bureau): The government sets up an agency to help formerly enslaved people find families, get medical care, and—most importantly—start schools. This is the first time the U.S. government provided direct "social welfare."
- 1865 (The 13th Amendment): Slavery is officially abolished forever.
- 1866 (The Civil Rights Act): For the first time, a law is passed saying that everyone born in the U.S. is a citizen, regardless of their race.

1867–1870:
- 1867 (Military Reconstruction): Because Southern states were passing "Black Codes" (laws that tried to keep Black people in a state similar to slavery), Congress sends the U.S. Army back into the South to make sure the new laws are followed and Black men can vote.
- 1868 (The 14th Amendment): This is a huge deal. It guarantees "equal protection under the law" for all citizens.
- 1870 (The 15th Amendment): This law says that the right to vote cannot be denied because of someone's race. Shortly after, the first Black men are elected to the U.S. Congress.
- 1870 (The 15th Amendment): This law says that the right to vote cannot be denied because of someone's race. Shortly after, the first Black men are elected to the U.S. Congress.

1871–1876:
- 1871 (The KKK Act): As groups like the Ku Klux Klan use violence to stop Black people from voting, President Grant uses federal power to arrest leaders and temporarily break the power of the Klan in the South.
- 1873 (Economic Crash): A major financial "Panic" hits the country. People in the North start losing interest in the problems of the South because they are worried about their own jobs and money.
- 1875 (The Civil Rights Act of 1875): A final push for equality that outlaws discrimination in public places like hotels and theaters. (Unfortunately, the Supreme Court would later strike this down).

1877:
- 1877 (The Compromise of 1877): A disputed Presidential election leads to a "backroom deal." To get their candidate into the White House, Northern politicians agree to pull the last federal troops out of the South.

The Result: Without the Army there to protect them, Black citizens lose their political power, and Southern states begin passing "Jim Crow" laws that would enforce segregation for the next 80 years.