39th United States Congress

39th United States Congress
Number	39th
Caption	U.S. Capitol (1869)
Body	United States Congress
Term-start	March 4, 1865
Term-end	March 4, 1867
Session-start1	December 4, 1865
Session-end1	July 28, 1866
Session-start2	December 3, 1866
Session-end2	March 4, 1867
President	Andrew Johnson
Pro-tem	Lafayette S. Foster
Speaker	Schuyler Colfax
Senators	54
Reps	193
H-majority	Republican
S-majority	Republican
Sessionnumber1	1st
Sessionnumber2	2nd

39th United States Congress convened from March 4, 1865, to March 4, 1867, during the tumultuous final months of the American Civil War and the initial phase of Reconstruction. Dominated by the Radical Republicans, this Congress clashed fiercely with President Andrew Johnson over the terms for readmitting the seceded Southern states. Its landmark achievements included the passage of foundational civil rights legislation and the proposal of a transformative constitutional amendment, fundamentally reshaping the post-war nation.

Major legislation

This Congress passed the seminal Civil Rights Act of 1866, which declared all persons born in the United States to be citizens and guaranteed equal rights under the law, a direct challenge to Black Codes. It also enacted the Freedmen's Bureau Act over President Andrew Johnson's veto, extending the life and powers of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. Other significant acts included the Southern Homestead Act of 1866, aimed at providing land to freedmen, and the Judicial Circuits Act, which reorganized the federal judiciary. The District of Columbia suffrage law granted voting rights to African American men in the capital.

Party summary

The Republican Party held commanding majorities in both chambers. In the Senate, Republicans outnumbered the shrunken Democratic delegation and Unconditional Unionists, who largely aligned with them. The House of Representatives saw a similar overwhelming Republican majority, with only a small contingent of Democrats and a handful of members from other factions. The near-total absence of representatives from the former Confederacy solidified Republican control over the legislative agenda.

Leadership

Schuyler Colfax of Indiana served as Speaker of the House, a key figure in managing the Radical Republican agenda. In the Senate, Lafayette S. Foster of Connecticut held the position of President pro tempore. The powerful Joint Committee on Reconstruction, chaired by Senator William P. Fessenden of Maine, played a decisive role in formulating Congress's approach to the defeated South, often acting as a counterweight to the executive branch.

Members

The Senate roster included influential figures like Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, a leading Radical, and John Sherman of Ohio. Notable new members included Edmund G. Ross of Kansas. The House was filled with staunch Republicans such as Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania, the radical chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and John Bingham of Ohio, a principal author of the Fourteenth Amendment. Future President James A. Garfield also served as a representative from Ohio.

Major events

The Congress opened in the shadow of Abraham Lincoln's assassination in April 1865, elevating Andrew Johnson to the presidency. It oversaw the final surrender of Confederate forces and the official end of the American Civil War. The period was defined by the escalating Constitutional crisis known as Johnson's Reconstruction, marked by his vetoes of key legislation and his clashes with Congress over the Tenure of Office Act. The Memphis riots of 1866 and New Orleans Massacre of 1866 underscored the violent resistance to Reconstruction.

Committees

Congress established several pivotal select and standing committees to manage post-war challenges. The aforementioned Joint Committee on Reconstruction was the most powerful. Important standing committees included the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Lyman Trumbull of Illinois, and the House Ways and Means Committee, chaired by Justin Smith Morrill of Vermont. The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War continued its investigations into military affairs.

Constitutional amendments

The most significant action of the 39th Congress was the passage and submission to the states of the Fourteenth Amendment on June 13, 1866. This amendment guaranteed citizenship, equal protection, and due process under the law, directly addressing the issues raised by the Black Codes and the Civil Rights Act of 1866. Its ratification became a central condition for the former Confederate states to regain representation in Congress, setting the stage for the Reconstruction Acts passed by the succeeding 40th United States Congress.

Category:39th United States Congress