The Reconstruction Era was a pivotal period in U.S. history following the <a href="/article/american-civil-war">American Civil War</a> (1861–1865), focused on rebuilding the nation, integrating the former Confederate states, and addressing the legal and social status of newly freed enslaved people. It involved significant political struggles, constitutional amendments, and efforts to establish civil rights for Black Americans, ultimately ending with the withdrawal of federal troops from the South in 1877.