With many southern state’s implementation of ‘black codes’ in the years directly proceding the Civil War, it was crucial northern states like New York responded swiftly and effectively to ensure a long term change for african americans in society. The Black Codes were aimed at restricting the rights and freedoms of African Americans who had recently been emancipated from slavery. These laws sought to maintain a system of social and economic control over the newly freed population and, in many ways, replicated some of the conditions of slavery. The codes regulated various aspects of African Americans' lives, including their labor, movement, and civil rights in a clear attempt to maintain the previously held economic and societal leverage over the black populations. In response the federal government, led by a majority of northern republicans such as Edwin D. Morgan and Ira Harris from the state of New York would pass several bills in the coming years, the first of which being the civil rights act of 1866. The civil rights act of 1866 was the first federal law to define citizenship and affirm that all citizens were equally protected by the law. The law would face strong opposition in the form of a presidential veto from Andrew Johnson, a southern sympathizer, but the republican supermajority in congress which came from the lack of political opposition in the years directly after the civil war counter vetoed Jonshon to pass the law. The republican supermajority in congress driven by senators like Morgan and Harris was the key factor that allowed the progressive northern republicans to pass many proactive laws and amendments in the early years of reconstruction, paving what appeared to be a bright future. Building on the civil rights act of 1866, congress would then agree to amend the constitution with the implementation of the fourteenth amendment which was at the time the biggest civil rights bill, excluding the thirteenth amendment, in US history. The amendment would state that any person born in the United States is considered a US citizen and therefore is entitled to all the same rights and liberties of citizenship. This amendment went hand in hand with the civil rights act of 1866 as the citizenship rights which they sought to expand and solidify now applied to all freed slaves and their children. Regardless of the amendment’s actual success in the coming years, the amendment was clearly a massive change in sentiment in the US congress as black people saw (theoretical) representation and protection for the first time. Around the same time, the northern republican majority passed a series of reconstruction acts which aimed to solidify the protection of black people in the southern states who all still held deep rooted racist ideas which would last until the 1960s and remains in small capacity today. The reconstruction acts put a large portion of the south under military occupation by the union army who would be stationed there to ensure the cooperation of the south with progressive northern laws such as the fourteenth amendment. In order to lift this military occupation the southern states were required to uphold the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery; swear loyalty to the Union; and pay off their war debt. These reconstruction acts further ensured the protection of black people in the United States for the first time in its history, marking the beginning of a new America with black people as a part of society (theoretically). Next the republican supermajority in congress would make another amendment to the constitution through the introduction of the fifteenth amendment. The fifteenth amendment had a wonderful concept, but turned out to be a quite large failure when it came to practicality. The amendment stated that no man could be stopped from voting because of their race, but the amendment did not account for the ability to implement a poll tax or literacy test in order to vote. The south took swift advantage of this by requiring poll taxes to vote which hindered black voters who did not have the money to vote, and a literacy test which directly targeted black and immigrant voters who could not read english. Although the amendment struggled to have an immediate effect on the state of black representation in politics, today the amendment is far better protected and serves a vital role as a foundation of our nation's values. It is also important to note the persistence and dedication of the northern republican majority to improve life for black Americans in the country in a capacity previously unheard of. Furthermore the Republican supermajority of the early reconstruction period would pass the enforcement acts in a continued effort to protect african americans equal rights. These acts passed throughout 1870–1871 focused on enforcing punishment southern state officials who challenged african americans right to vote, hold office, serve on jury, and most importantly, their right to equal protection under the law. While this early construction period may seem to be a widespread success, the republican supermajority in congress would eventually waver as supremacist democratic candidates would gain power in southern states, single handedly setting back civil rights nearly a century. These early reconstruction laws are still important to highlight as they put a spotlight on the northern attitude coming into reconstruction. The north was clearly more progressive than the south as the south’s entire economy had relied on racism whereas the north diversified. Unfortunately, these laws passed by the temporary republican supermajority would be the only real progress made for the country during reconstruction. Unfortunately, even though the republican congressmen were ready to accept black people into society, the rest of the country was not. The southern states and their population held deep rooted racist sentiments which were directly written into their law, making it nearly impossible to succeed as a black person in the south for years to come. Although the north proposed and passed many progressive laws, it is important to note that many northerners still held prejudices against black people, but the main difference between the two sides of the nation was the north didn’t write it into their law. This is a key fundamental aspect in understanding the failure and success of reconstruction as the north may have still held prejudices, yet they were willing to begin to adapt and move towards change. On the other hand, the south was still extremely bitter and racist, making any effort they could to persecute people of color in their states. Overall, although reconstruction saw great success in creating some opportunities for black Americans and shaping the mindset of the American public by laying the groundwork for the future, it eventually failed from a practical standpoint simply because the nation’s population was not ready to make such a drastic change. In relation to New York, the state would stay mostly republican in its elections throughout the reconstruction process, only seeing change towards the very late 1800s which represents the optimism and inclusive attitude of New York City’s population. Furthermore, this republican voting contributed greatly to the supermajority seen in the early reconstruction which really did the dirty work passing bills that they knew were right and paving the road for a better future such as the diverse country we live in today.