Legislation1867
Second Reconstruction Act Passed
Congress passed the Second Reconstruction Act over President Andrew Johnson's veto, requiring military commanders in Southern states to register voters and begin the process of forming new state governments. The act extended voting rights to formerly enslaved men while disenfranchising former Confederate leaders.
Why It Matters
The Reconstruction Acts represented Congress's most ambitious effort to rebuild the South on a foundation of racial equality, establishing the principle that the federal government could intervene to protect citizens' civil rights.