This free 6th grade social studies worksheet covers the Reconstruction era, the period of rebuilding after the American Civil War.
After the Civil War ended in 1865, the country entered a period called Reconstruction. The goal was to rebuild the South and bring the former Confederate states back into the Union. Three important amendments were added to the Constitution during this time. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery. The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to all people born in the United States, including formerly enslaved people. The 15th Amendment gave Black men the right to vote. For a brief time, Black citizens held political office and built schools and churches. However, many white Southerners resisted these changes. They passed laws called Black Codes that restricted the rights of Black people. Groups like the Ku Klux Klan used violence and intimidation. By the late 1870s, Reconstruction had ended, and many of the rights that had been gained were taken away for decades.
Reconstruction is a critical but often under-taught chapter in American history. This worksheet helps 6th graders understand the constitutional amendments, political struggles, and lasting consequences of the post-Civil War period.