“All men are created equal. » This is one of the most famous lines of the Declaration of Independence written in 1776. But this was obviously not true, even a century later, in the late 19th century. At that time (when?) only white men had rights and the right to vote. Black men were slaves. They were considered property without rights. However, everything changed starting with Lincoln's election, the Civil War, and finally Reconstruction. Although many obstacles – such as President Johnson, poll taxes, white supremacist groups, black codes, and financial problems – prevented freed black men from advancing in society, they still gained the right to vote and the possibility of owning land, among other things; this demonstrated an immense sea change from the times when African Americans were considered inferior to humans without rights. The secession of the Southern states underscored the fact that emancipation of slaves would be possible. Before 1860, the Union was already in a state of impending crisis due to growing tensions and sectional differences. Free states and slave states constantly argued over the issue of slavery. Each side wanted more representation and therefore wanted to win more states to their side. Many compromises were found to help ease tensions. Some include the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. However, these compromises were only temporary and only blocked the crisis that would soon arise. When Republican Abraham Lincoln won the presidential election in 1860, it showed many white Democratic Southerners that their cause in the Union was hopeless. Free states and Republicans would soon gain enough power to abolish slavery in the South. The slave states would no longer have power. I...... middle of paper...... for the prohibition of denying the right to vote to any citizen simply because of his or her "race, color, or previous conditions of servitude." Congress used its power to override President Johnson's decision. veto and thwart some of his attempts to interfere with black rights. When Congress passed legislation to extend the life of the Freedmen's Bureau and give it the power to rescind labor agreements imposed on freedmen under the Black Codes, Johnson vetoed the bill. When Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which granted citizenship to black people in the United States and gave the federal government the power to protect citizens' rights by interfering in state affairs, Johnson also vetoed it. Nonetheless, Congress overrode Johnson and passed both bills. Congress also passed the three Reconstruction bills that Johnson had vetoed, but Congress ignored him..