Today we learn how some northern states granted increasing rights to African Americans. In the South, the situation was quite different.

What were the Black Codes? Find out on today's podcast.

In southern states after the Civil War, African Americans were systematically denied basic civil rights. Vigilante groups engaged in campaigns of terror against African Americans.

When Union troops left the South, a reign of terror began. And Congress could not stop it.

After the Civil War, Republicans had both moral and political reasons to support the civil rights of African Americans.

After the Civil War, Republicans had both moral and political reasons to support the civil rights of African Americans. This led to the Fourteenth Amendment.