The Congressional elections are seen as a national referendum on the proposed 14 th Amendment. Republicans score a major victory, gaining seats to give them over a two-thirds margin in the next Congress more than enough to override any presidential vetoes. Congress passes the first Reconstruction Act. The former Confederacy is divided into five military districts under the direction of military officers, who are supported by federal troops. Military courts can be used to try cases involving civil and property rights violations, as well as criminal trials.
States have to enact new constitutions that grant voting rights to black men.
High-ranking Confederate officials are temporarily barred from political participation. States must ratify the 14 th Amendment in order to be represented in Congress. President Johnson vetoes the bill, but Congress overrides the veto. The Southern states, though, refuse to carry out the law. Congress passes the second Reconstruction Act.