The Reconstruction Acts were a series of laws passed by the United States Congress in 1867 aimed at rebuilding the South after the Civil War. These acts divided the South into five military districts, each governed by a Union general. They required Southern states to create new constitutions that guaranteed civil rights for freed slaves and to ratify the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to all born in the U.S. The Reconstruction Acts were part of a broader effort to ensure that the rights of newly freed African Americans were protected. They aimed to restore the Southern states to the Union while promoting equality and preventing former Confederates from regaining power. The acts faced significant opposition and led to tensions between President Andrew Johnson and Congress.