After the end of the Civil War in 1865, many efforts were made in order to unify the country. This period was known as "The Reconstruction". Congress passed a series of Acts known as "The Reconstruction Acts", which were signed during the "First Legislature after the War in South Carolina in 1866. These acts established military rule over the Southern States until the establishment of new governments. They also restricted the rights of some former Confederate officers to vote and run for offices.