Category

The Reconstruction Era (1865–1874)

After the Civil War, Texas entered a turbulent period of military occupation, economic hardship, and political realignment. The party of Lincoln took control of Texas state government. Backed by federal authority, Reconstruction Republicans granted civil rights to freed slaves, stripped former Confederate leaders of political power, and centralized state authority, provoking fierce resistance. This era saw the adoption of a new constitution, the first Black officeholders in Texas, and the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan.