First of all, you should be aware that there were actually
three Reconstruction Acts passed in that year. Together, the effect of these laws was
to impose martial law on the South in an attempt to force them to institute new and more
democratic governments.
The Reconstruction Acts abolished
the state governments in the South and replaced them with military governments. The
military governments were instructed to do various things. They were supposed to call
conventions for making new state constitutions, for example. They were supposed to
ensure that freed slaves (male only) had the right to vote. In general, they were
supposed to ensure that new state governments would be made on the basis of universal
male suffrage and a respect for the rights of all citizens.
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