History of the Thirty-Ninth Congress of the United States

History of the Thirty-Ninth Congress of the United States by William Horatio Barnes provides a comprehensive account of the 39th Congress which convened from 1865 to 1867 during a crucial period in American history. This was a time of reconstruction following the Civil War with the nation grappling with the complex issues of reintegrating the Southern states addressing the rights of newly freed African Americans and rebuilding the political and economic systems of the South.Barnes' work highlights the key legislative debates decisions and conflicts that shaped the Reconstruction era including the passage of the 13th 14th and 15th Amendments the imposition of military rule in the South and the efforts to define the political future of former Confederate states. The book also explores the tensions between President Andrew Johnson and Congress particularly regarding the President’s lenient policies toward the South and the subsequent rise of Radical Republican influence.