The Reconstruction Era was about citizenship and equality. Reconstruction was a way that redefined the position of African Americans in society. After the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation allowing all slaves to be free. The Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways as it only applied to states within the rebellion. However, he influenced citizens of the North and South to accept the abolition of slavery. In 1865, Congress established the Freedman's Bureau to provide aid to newly freed African Americans to help them in their transition from slavery. The Freedman's Bureau provided food, shelter, medical care, schools, and promised to settle former slaves on confiscated or abandoned land. In 1865, Congress passed the 13th Amendment, officially abolishing slavery. During this period of reconstruction, land ownership was the key to economic autonomy. The former slaves tried to proclaim their independence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe 13th Amendment turned the Southern states into chaos. Even though the 13th Amendment allowed for the freedom of African Americans, it was still used as punishment for crimes; to get free work. The Freedman's Bureau's promising promise of land was returned to the former Confederates. The former slaves were then encouraged to work as wage earners by their former owners. This allowed Southern landowners to re-establish a slave-like workforce. This type of system, sharecropping, allowed the sharecropper to use the land in exchange for a small share of the harvest. Sharecropping gave African Americans much more freedom, but kept them generationally in debt. African Americans were granted legal freedom but little more. The Black Codes were used to restore the old order of slavery. The Black Codes granted certain freedoms to African Americans such as the right to own property and to marry within the race. The Black Codes were primarily intended to limit work and activity. The codes denied blacks from voting, testifying in court, and serving on juries or in the militia. This allowed Southern whites to retain political power and keep the slave mentality alive by providing cheap labor. This tied black workers to land they did not own, oppressing the freedom of newly freed slaves. Republicans responded with the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which was the first federal attempt to constitutionally define all American-born residents as citizens. The 14th Amendment developed alongside the Civil Rights Act, which granted equal civil and legal rights to slaves emancipated after the Civil War. It ensured that state laws could not discriminate against a particular group of people. Black Americans began to join local, state, and federal government for the first time in history. Southern society tried to find loopholes as to why black men could not vote or participate in political parties. The 15th Amendment was passed by Congress in 1869, to prevent disenfranchisement. The Fifteenth Amendment guaranteed citizens the right to vote regardless of race or color, redefining the terms of democracy. Before long, African Americans began to hold positions of power. Over 2,000 African American men served in office despite the intimidating approaches used to confine them. While progress was underway 2019).