How did the United States change between Apr 14, 1865 and Mar 4, 1877?
Pick two dates. See the laws, the executive orders, the courts, Congress, federal agencies, the Constitution and the budget, as a diff.
$ civicdiff 1865-04-14..1877-03-04 # 12 years
jsonLaws enacted
+43major laws · full counts from 1973
Executive orders
—records start in 1994
Final rules
—records start in 1994
Supreme Court
4 of 8seats changed hands
Agencies
+8 −0departments & tracked agencies
Public debt
+$365M$1.8B → $2.2B
The presidency passed from Abraham Lincoln to Rutherford Birchard Hayes across 3 transitions. 48 senators and 0 representatives took seats that they did not hold before. 4 new justices joined the Supreme Court. 3 constitutional amendments were ratified.
Executive
executive/presidentThe presidencyAbraham Lincoln R
16th president
2 presidents in between
Andrew Johnson D
took office Apr 15, 1865
Ulysses Simpson Grant R
took office Mar 4, 1869
Rutherford Birchard Hayes R
19th president · took office Mar 4, 1877
executive/vice-presidentThe vice presidencyAndrew Johnson D
William Almon Wheeler R
took office Mar 4, 1877
executive/cabinetCabinet & senior officials+3−9Wikidata ↗
Secretary of State · 2 people took this office in between
Secretary of the Treasury · 4 people took this office in between
Secretary of War · 3 people took this office in between
vacant or abolished
Attorney General · 7 people took this office in between
vacant or abolished
Postmaster General · 2 people took this office in between
vacant or abolished
Secretary of the Navy
vacant or abolished
Show 1 more cabinet offices
Secretary of the Interior · 3 people took this office in between
vacant or abolished
Other senior officials (3 changed)
Postmaster General · 2 people took this office in between
vacant or abolished
Secretary of the Navy
vacant or abolished
Solicitor General · 2 people took this office in between
office did not exist
executive/ordersExecutive ordersno dataFederal Register API ↗
Federal Register records of executive orders begin in 1994.
executive/agenciesFederal agencies33 → 41 tracked organizations · 7 → 8 executive departments
United States Department of Justice department
established Jul 1, 1870 · United States federal executive department
United States Secret Service
established Jul 5, 1865 · U.S. federal law enforcement agency
National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers
established Jan 1, 1866 · American governmental institution for veterans
United States Hydrographic Office
established Jun 21, 1866 · U.S. agency that prepares and publishes maps, charts, and nautical books required in navigation
United States Office of Education
established Mar 2, 1867 · U.S. agency within the department of the Interior from 1867 to 1972
Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management
established Jan 1, 1870
Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce and Agriculture
established Feb 9, 1870 · predecessor to United States Weather Bureau
Steamboat Inspection Service
established Jan 1, 1871 · Defunct United States agency
Agency start and end dates come from Wikidata, which covers smaller bureaus unevenly.
Military
military/conflictsArmed conflictsU.S. in 0 armed conflicts → 0
The U.S. was not a party to any armed conflict in this window (conflict records start in 1946).
An armed conflict here means at least 25 battle deaths in a year, with U.S. forces as a party or fighting for a government (UCDP's definition). Air strikes, raids, and advisory missions below that threshold aren't included. UN peacekeeping missions are excluded.
Legislative
legislative/controlControl of Congress39
40
41
42
43
44
45
Top: House · Bottom: Senate DemocraticRepublicanOther
39th Congress → 45th Congress · 6 new Congresses elected
2 changes of chamber control along the way
House: null majority on both dates
→
Senate: Republican majority on both dates
27 R · 8 D → 29 R · 21 D
legislative/senateSenate+48−34congress-legislators ↗
48 new members · 34 departed · 2 served on both dates · women 0 → 0 · median age 51 → 52
10 seats changed party
Benjamin Gratz Brown R
Missouri
Lewis Vital Bogy D
Missouri
Thomas Holliday Hicks UU
Maryland
George Robertson Dennis D
Maryland
James Alexander McDougall D
California
Aaron Augustus Sargent R
California
James Willis Nesmith D
Oregon
John Hipple Mitchell R
Oregon
Show 6 more seat flips
Edwin Denison Morgan R
New York
Francis Kernan D
New York
Benjamin Franklin Wade R
Ohio
Allen Granberry Thurman D
Ohio
James Dixon R
Connecticut
William Wallace Eaton D
Connecticut
John Brooks Henderson R
Missouri
Francis Marion Cockrell D
Missouri
Peter Godwin Van Winkle R
West Virginia
Samuel Price D
West Virginia
Lafayette Sabine Foster R
Connecticut
William Henry Barnum D
Connecticut
Who joined and who left (48 in · 34 out)
George Eliphaz Spencer R
Alabama
Stephen Wallace Dorsey R
Arkansas
Aaron Augustus Sargent R
California
Newton Booth R
California
Jerome Bunty Chaffee R
Colorado
William Wallace Eaton D
Connecticut
William Henry Barnum D
Connecticut
Thomas Francis Bayard Sr. D
Delaware
Simon Barclay Conover R
Florida
Charles William Jones D
Florida
John Brown Gordon D
Georgia
William Boyd Allison R
Iowa
Richard James Oglesby R
Illinois
Oliver Hazard Perry Throck Morton R
Indiana
Joseph Ewing McDonald D
Indiana
John James Ingalls R
Kansas
Thomas Clay McCreery D
Kentucky
James Biddle Eustis D
Louisiana
Henry Laurens Dawes R
Massachusetts
George Robertson Dennis D
Maryland
William Pinkney Whyte D
Maryland
Hannibal Hamlin R
Maine
Isaac Peckham Christiancy R
Michigan
Samuel James Renwick McMillan R
Minnesota
Lewis Vital Bogy D
Missouri
Francis Marion Cockrell D
Missouri
Blanche Kelso Bruce R
Mississippi
Augustus Summerfield Merrimon D
North Carolina
Algernon Sidney Paddock R
Nebraska
Bainbridge Wadleigh R
New Hampshire
Theodore Fitz Randolph D
New Jersey
John Percival Jones R
Nevada
William Sharon R
Nevada
Roscoe Conkling R
New York
Francis Kernan D
New York
Allen Granberry Thurman D
Ohio
John Hipple Mitchell R
Oregon
Simon Cameron R
Pennsylvania
William Andrew Wallace D
Pennsylvania
Ambrose Everett Burnside R
Rhode Island
John James Patterson R
South Carolina
David McKendree Key D
Tennessee
Samuel Bell Maxey D
Texas
Robert Enoch Withers D
Virginia
Justin Smith Morrill R
Vermont
George Franklin Edmunds R
Vermont
Angus Cameron R
Wisconsin
Samuel Price D
West Virginia
James Alexander McDougall D
California
John Conness R
California
Lafayette Sabine Foster R
Connecticut
James Dixon R
Connecticut
George Read Riddle D
Delaware
James Harlan R
Iowa
Lyman Trumbull R
Illinois
Henry Smith Lane R
Indiana
Thomas Andrews Hendricks D
Indiana
Samuel Clarke Pomeroy R
Kansas
Garrett Davis D
Kentucky
Charles Sumner R
Massachusetts
Thomas Holliday Hicks UU
Maryland
Reverdy Johnson D
Maryland
Lot Myrick Morrill R
Maine
Zachariah Chandler R
Michigan
Alexander Ramsey R
Minnesota
John Brooks Henderson R
Missouri
Benjamin Gratz Brown R
Missouri
Daniel Clark R
New Hampshire
William Wright D
New Jersey
James Warren Nye R
Nevada
William Morris Stewart R
Nevada
Ira Harris R
New York
Edwin Denison Morgan R
New York
Benjamin Franklin Wade R
Ohio
James Willis Nesmith D
Oregon
Edgar Cowan R
Pennsylvania
Charles Rollin Buckalew D
Pennsylvania
William Sprague R
Rhode Island
Jacob Collamer R
Vermont
Solomon Foot R
Vermont
James Rood Doolittle R
Wisconsin
Peter Godwin Van Winkle R
West Virginia
legislative/houseHouseNo data
No data
0 new members · 0 departed · 0 served on both dates · women 0 → 0
Who joined and who left (0 in · 0 out)
legislative/lawsLaws enactedComplete lists of public laws start with the 93rd Congress (Jan 3, 1973). Earlier years show notable and landmark acts only.
43 laws recorded · 1 landmark · 42 notable
Contraction Act of 1866
Ch. 39, Sess. 1, 39th Cong. · Apr 12, 1866
Freedmen's Bureau Bill
Ch. 200, Sess. 1, 39th Cong. · Jul 16, 1866
Judicial Circuits Act
Ch. 210, Sess. 1, 39th Cong. · Jul 23, 1866
District of Columbia Public Schools Act ("An Act relating to Public Schools in the District of Columbia")
Ch. 217, Sess. 1, 39th Cong. · Jul 23, 1866
An Act to revive the grade of General in the United States Army
Ch. 232, Sess. 1, 39th Cong. · Jul 25, 1866
Metric Act of 1866
Ch. 301, Sess. 1, 39th Cong. · Jul 28, 1866
Washington City Colored Schools Lots Donation Act ("An Act donating certain Lots in the City of Washington for Schools for Colored Children in the District of Columbia")
Ch. 308, Sess. 1, 39th Cong. · Jul 28, 1866
Reconstruction Act
Ch. 153, Sess. 2, 39th Cong. · Mar 2, 1867
Tenure of Office Act (1867)
Ch. 154, Sess. 2, 39th Cong. · Mar 2, 1867
Show 30 more notable laws
Expatriation Act of 1868
Ch. 249, Sess. 2, 40th Cong. · Jul 27, 1868
Public Credit Act of 1869
Ch. 1, Sess. 1, 41st Cong. · Mar 18, 1869
Judiciary Act of 1869 (Circuit Judges Act of 1869)
Ch. 22, Sess. 1, 41st Cong. · Apr 10, 1869
Enforcement Act of 1870 (Civil Rights Act of 1870)
Ch. 114, Sess. 2, 41st Cong. · May 31, 1870
Department of Justice Act
Ch. 150, Sess. 2, 41st Cong. · Jun 22, 1870
An Act to reorganize the Marine Hospital Service
Ch. 169, Sess. 2, 41st Cong. · Jun 29, 1870
Copyright Act of 1870
Ch. 230, Sess. 2, 41st Cong. · Jul 8, 1870
Currency Act of 1870
Ch. 252, Sess. 2, 41st Cong. · Jul 12, 1870
Naturalization Act of 1870
Ch. 254, Sess. 2, 41st Cong. · Jul 14, 1870
Funding Act of 1870
Ch. 256, Sess. 2, 41st Cong. · Jul 14, 1870
District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871
Pub. L. 41-62 · Feb 21, 1871
Enforcement Act of 1871
Apr 20, 1871
Third Enforcement Act (Civil Rights Act of 1871, Ku Klux Klan Act)
Ch. 22, Sess. 1, 42nd Cong. · Apr 20, 1871
Yellowstone National Park founded
Mar 1, 1872
Yellowstone Act
Ch. 24, Sess. 2, 42nd Cong. · Mar 1, 1872
General Mining Act of 1872
Ch. 152, Sess. 2, 42nd Cong. · May 10, 1872
Amnesty Act
Ch. 193, Sess. 2, 42nd Cong. · May 22, 1872
Amnesty Act of 1872
May 23, 1872
Practice Conformity Act (precursor to the Rules Enabling Act)
Ch. 255, Sess. 2, 42nd Cong. · Jun 1, 1872
Post Office Consolidation Act of 1872
Ch. 335, Sess. 2, 42nd Cong. · Jun 8, 1872
Coinage Act of 1873
Ch. 131, Sess. 3, 42nd Cong. · Feb 12, 1873
Comstock Act
Mar 3, 1873
Salary Grab Act (so called)
Mar 3, 1873
Comstock Act of 1873
Ch. 258, Sess. 3, 42nd Cong. · Mar 3, 1873
Timber Culture Act
Ch. 277, Sess. 3, 42nd Cong. · Mar 3, 1873
Revised Statutes of the United States
Jun 22, 1874
Poland Act
Ch. 469, Sess. 1, 43rd Cong. · Jun 23, 1874
Specie Payment Resumption Act
Ch. 15, Sess. 2, 43rd Cong. · Jan 14, 1875
Civil Rights Act of 1875
Ch. 114, Sess. 2, 43rd Cong. · Mar 1, 1875
Tariff of 1875
18 Stat. 469 · Mar 3, 1875
Judicial
judicial/supreme-courtThe Supreme CourtBench by appointing party: 5 R · 4 D · 1 W → 7 R · 1 D
James Moore Wayne D
appointed by Andrew Jackson · 1835
John Catron D
appointed by Andrew Jackson · 1837
Samuel Nelson W
appointed by John Tyler · 1845
Robert Cooper Grier D
appointed by James K. Polk · 1846
David Davis R
appointed by Abraham Lincoln · 1862
Salmon Portland Chase R
appointed by Abraham Lincoln · 1864
William Strong R
appointed by Ulysses Grant · 1870
Joseph P. Bradley R
appointed by Ulysses Grant · 1870
Ward Hunt R
appointed by Ulysses Grant · 1872
Morrison Remick Waite R
appointed by Ulysses Grant · 1874
4 justices served on both dates
Nathan Clifford D
appointed by James Buchanan · 1858
Noah Haynes Swayne R
appointed by Abraham Lincoln · 1862
Samuel Freeman Miller R
appointed by Abraham Lincoln · 1862
Stephen Johnson Field R
appointed by Abraham Lincoln · 1863
judicial/lower-courtsAppeals & district courtsCourts of appeals (active judges): →
District courts (active judges): 26 R · 14 D · 6 N( · 3 JR · 2 W → 41 R · 18 D · 3 N(
Andrew Johnson D appointed 12 judges
11 district · 1 other
None (reassignment) N( appointed 5 judges
5 district
Ulysses Grant R appointed 50 judges
4 Supreme Court · 34 district · 12 other
D and R describe the party of the appointing president, not the judge. Active service ends when a judge takes senior status.
judicial/rulingsSupreme Court decisions+1,927Supreme Court Database ↗
1,927 argued decisions · 16 landmark
Ex parte Milligan
71 U.S. 2 · Apr 3, 1866 · Decided 9–0 · Criminal Procedure
Ex parte Garland
71 U.S. 333 · Jan 14, 1867 · Decided 5–4 · First Amendment · Declared federal law unconstitutional
Reichart v. Felps
73 U.S. 160 · Mar 16, 1868 · Decided 8–0 · Economic Activity · Affirmed · Declared federal law unconstitutional
The Alicia
74 U.S. 571 · Jan 25, 1869 · Decided 8–0 · Judicial Power · Declared federal law unconstitutional
Texas v. White
74 U.S. 700 · Apr 12, 1869 · Decided 7–1 · Judicial Power · Struck down state law
Hepburn v. Griswold
75 U.S. 603 · Feb 7, 1870 · Decided 4–3 · Economic Activity · Affirmed · Declared federal law unconstitutional
Broderick's Executor v. Magraw
75 U.S. 639 · Feb 7, 1870 · Decided 7–0 · Economic Activity · Affirmed · Declared federal law unconstitutional
United States v. Dewitt
76 U.S. 41 · Feb 21, 1870 · Decided 8–0 · Federalism · Declared federal law unconstitutional
The Justices v. Murray
76 U.S. 274 · Mar 14, 1870 · Decided 7–0 · Federalism · Reversed and remanded · Declared federal law unconstitutional
The Collector v. Day
78 U.S. 113 · Apr 3, 1871 · Decided 7–1 · Federalism · Affirmed · Declared federal law unconstitutional
Show 6 more
United States v. Klein
Jan 29, 1872 · Decided 6–2 · Miscellaneous · Affirmed · Declared federal law unconstitutional
United States v. Railroad Company
Apr 7, 1873 · Decided 7–2 · Federal Taxation · Affirmed · Declared federal law unconstitutional
Slaughter-House Cases
Apr 14, 1873 · Decided 5–4 · Economic Activity · Affirmed
Minor v. Happersett
Mar 29, 1875 · Decided 9–0 · Civil Rights · Affirmed
United States v. Reese
Mar 27, 1876 · Decided 7–2 · Civil Rights · Declared federal law unconstitutional
Munn v. Illinois
Mar 1, 1877 · Decided 7–2 · Economic Activity · Affirmed
Landmark means the Court overruled precedent, struck down a federal law, or the case is on a curated landmark list.
Fiscal
fiscal/budgetThe federal budgetFiscal year undefined → fiscal year undefined · inflation-adjusted with the GDP price index
fiscal/debtTotal public debt outstanding+$365MTreasury Fiscal Data ↗
$1.8B
as of Jul 1, 1864
$2.2B
as of Jul 1, 1876
Constitution & Union
constitution/amendmentsAmendments & statehood12 → 15 amendments in force · 36 → 38 states
Amendment XIII Abolition of slavery
ratified Dec 6, 1865 · Abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.
Amendment XIV Citizenship, equal protection, due process
ratified Jul 9, 1868 · Birthright citizenship; equal protection and due process applied to the states.
Amendment XV Voting rights regardless of race
ratified Feb 3, 1870 · Prohibits denying the vote on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Nebraska joins the Union
admitted Mar 1, 1867
Colorado joins the Union
admitted Aug 1, 1876
Log
logEverything in between73 events
- presidentAndrew Johnson takes office
- amendmentAbolition of slavery
- rulingEx parte Milligan
- lawCivil Rights Act of 1866
- lawContraction Act of 1866
- lawFreedmen's Bureau Bill
- lawJudicial Circuits Act
- lawDistrict of Columbia Public Schools Act ("An Act relating to Public Schools in the District of Columbia")
- lawAn Act to revive the grade of General in the United States Army
- lawMetric Act of 1866
- lawWashington City Colored Schools Lots Donation Act ("An Act donating certain Lots in the City of Washington for Schools for Colored Children in the District of Columbia")
- rulingEx parte Garland
- stateNebraska
- lawReconstruction Act
- lawTenure of Office Act (1867)
- rulingReichart v. Felps
- amendmentCitizenship, equal protection, due process
- lawExpatriation Act of 1868
- rulingThe Alicia
- presidentUlysses Simpson Grant takes office
- lawPublic Credit Act of 1869
- lawJudiciary Act of 1869 (Circuit Judges Act of 1869)
- rulingTexas v. White
- amendmentVoting rights regardless of race
- rulingHepburn v. Griswold
- rulingBroderick's Executor v. Magraw
- justiceWilliam Strong — Associate Justice
- rulingUnited States v. Dewitt
- rulingThe Justices v. Murray
- justiceJoseph P. Bradley — Associate Justice
- lawEnforcement Act of 1870 (Civil Rights Act of 1870)
- lawDepartment of Justice Act
- lawAn Act to reorganize the Marine Hospital Service
- agency+United States Department of Justice
- lawCopyright Act of 1870
- lawCurrency Act of 1870
- lawNaturalization Act of 1870
- lawFunding Act of 1870
- lawDistrict of Columbia Organic Act of 1871
- rulingThe Collector v. Day
- lawEnforcement Act of 1871
- lawThird Enforcement Act (Civil Rights Act of 1871, Ku Klux Klan Act)
- rulingUnited States v. Klein
- lawYellowstone National Park founded
- lawYellowstone Act
- lawGeneral Mining Act of 1872
- lawAmnesty Act
- lawAmnesty Act of 1872
- lawPractice Conformity Act (precursor to the Rules Enabling Act)
- lawPost Office Consolidation Act of 1872
- justiceWard Hunt — Associate Justice
- lawCoinage Act of 1873
- lawComstock Act
- lawSalary Grab Act (so called)
- lawComstock Act of 1873
- lawTimber Culture Act
- presidentUlysses Simpson Grant takes office
- rulingUnited States v. Railroad Company
- rulingSlaughter-House Cases
- justiceMorrison Remick Waite — Chief Justice
- lawRevised Statutes of the United States
- lawPoland Act
- lawSpecie Payment Resumption Act
- lawCivil Rights Act of 1875
- lawTariff of 1875
- lawPage Act of 1875
- rulingMinor v. Happersett
- rulingUnited States v. Reese
- stateColorado
- lawElectoral Commission Act
- rulingMunn v. Illinois
- lawDesert Land Act
- presidentRutherford Birchard Hayes takes office