After the Civil War, a period of time was dedicated to rebuilding and reunifying the nation. This period was called Reconstruction, and the American people faced a difficult task that required time, patience, and cooperation. Unfortunately, this didn't always go as planned. Many years later came the Civil Rights Movement, otherwise known as the Second Reconstruction. The civil rights movement had somewhat similar goals for reconstruction after the Civil War, but their degree of success varied greatly between the two. After the end of the Civil War, Congress was composed primarily of radical Republicans who wanted to help African Americans in the South. They passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which gave black freedmen the same rights as white men, such as the ability to sue and serve on a jury. To ensure these rights continue, the 14th and 15th Amendments were ratified. The 14th Amendment guaranteed citizenship to blacks, and the 15th Amendment gave African American men the right to vote. Similar to what Congress was trying to do, President Lyndon B. Johnson, during the Civil Rights Movement, managed to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which essentially contained numerous laws prohibiting discrimination and segregation on the basis of on race, religion, nationality and gender. During these two “reconstructions,” the government worked hard to establish equality for blacks in the country. Congress attempted to pass more laws and even created the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which prohibited racial discrimination in public. Unfortunately for freed blacks in the South, these laws had no authority over determined Southerners. Andrew Johnson, a white southerner who took on the role of president of America's Newspaper, were united and that unity gave them strength and courage. One of the major parts of Reconstruction was creating equal rights for freed blacks. In some ways, this could be called the "early civil rights movement" because the goals of Congress were similar to some of the goals of the civil rights movement. Unfortunately, Reconstruction failed to achieve its goal of equal rights for African Americans. Instead, segregation and racial discrimination laws were implemented. It continued for years like this, until the 1950s and 1960s, otherwise known as the Civil Rights Movement. African Americans were tired of being treated so harshly and cruelly that they, along with many others such as the President and Congress, decided to take action to end inequality, not only in of race, but also of religion, sex, and nationality .