The Reconstruction era refers to the period _______ the Civil War when attempts were made to redress [fix] the inequities of slavery and its political, social, and economic legacy. The U.S. federal government also needed to determine how to _______ the 11 Confederate states back into the Union.
After the war, formerly enslaved African Americans responded to freedom in different ways. After celebrating the end of the war and their new freedom, most tried to _______ with their separated families. Some set up new institutions, including schools, while participating in politics by voting and even serving in government.