After the Civil War, Republicans in Congress wanted to ensure that the South was fully and permanently re-integrated into the United States and that African Americans in the region were granted full citizenship and voting rights. They sought to reconstruct the South in a way that would ensure civil rights and equal protection under the law for all citizens.
To achieve these goals, Republicans in Congress passed a series of Reconstruction Acts. These acts established military governments in the former Confederate states, which were required to draft new constitutions that guaranteed African American voting rights and abolished slavery. The acts also required Southern states to ratify the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States and guaranteed equal protection of the law.
In addition to these legislative actions, Republicans in Congress also established the Freedmen's Bureau, which provided assistance to former slaves and helped them transition to freedom. The bureau provided food, clothing, and medical care, established schools, and helped former slaves find employment.
Republicans in Congress also passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which granted citizenship and equal rights to African Americans, and the Enforcement Acts of 1870 and 1871, which were designed to combat violence and voter intimidation against African Americans in the South.
Overall, Republicans in Congress wanted the South to be treated as an equal part of the United States and to ensure that African Americans in the region were granted full citizenship and voting rights. They used a combination of legislative and executive actions to achieve these goals, although Reconstruction was ultimately cut short by political compromises and a lack of federal will to continue to protect the rights of African Americans in the South.