United States Congress Joint Committee on Reconstruction

Okay.

Uh, the Joint Committee on Reconstruction focuses heavily on this.

Uh, it's not, um ...

Before we even get talking about the Black Codes and formal racial discrimination in the laws is this, this, uh, semi-barbarous culture of violence where, uh, large numbers of, um, well-organized, well-armed individuals who have lots of military training, um, are hanging around the South and making it very clear certain people aren't welcome, and they're using, uh, either threats or, or arson and, and wide- widescale violence.

And the Joint Committee on Reconstruction says these, the, the governments there, which are kind of not even functioning, they, they have it ...

It's, it's pretty clear that there are certain groups that they, they simply will not protect.

They will not prosecute.

They, um, uh, the, the juries won't convict.

They were not allowed to take their seats.

Congress established the Joint Committee on Reconstruction to investigate conditions in the South and to propose remedies.

The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was passed Even after President Andrew Johnson vetoed it, they overrode his veto.

And the Civil Rights Act of 1866 declared that black Americans freed by the 13th Amendment are now citizens with equal civil rights.