In just four short years, the lives of enslaved and already freed African-Americans would change drastically. From being granted freedom in 1865 to citizenship in 1868, the years proceeding the Civil War would be vital not just to the rebuilding of the United States, but the ability of African-Americans to become full citizens.

Congress creates the Freedmens Bureau. The purpose of the Bureau is to provide healthcare, education and other assistance to newly freed slaves.