Following the American Civil War came the Reconstruction Act. This is when the North helped rebuild the South from the total destruction which happened during the Civil War. Discussed below are three effects the Reconstruction Act had on the North and the South. First, the U.S. government enacted the 13th Amendment. This amendment freed all slaves. This, in a way , was good and bad for the slaves, in that it let them be free to do what they wanted. However it left them with no place to stay, no food, and no clothing. Therefore many former slaves moved to places in the North for jobs and shelter. Secondly, the southern landowners developed the system of sharecropping. Sharecropping